Fact Check: The truth behind Donald Trump's popularity

Do voters regret putting him in the White House? The Week looks at the latest polling figures

Trump rally

As Donald Trump approaches his 100th day in office with the lowest approval rating of any US president, is there any evidence his supporters are having buyer's remorse?

What is the press reporting?

Last week, The New York Times interviewed disgruntled Trump supporters in Pennsylvania's 8th District, a swing district which narrowly backed the Republican candidate in last year's election.

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"[He's] just like any other damn president," said one woman who expected Trump to improve conditions for veterans and overhaul the healthcare system. It was just "political bluster," she said.

However, others were willing to give the business mogul more time. "Many still trust him, but wonder why his deal-making instincts do not seem to be translating," the paper says.

The Washington Post, meanwhile, argues that the disillusioned Trump voter is largely a myth.

The story in the New York Times paints "a pretty grim picture" of how some Republican voters now view the President, the newspaper argues. "And it's quite possible it's an accurate one of this particular district. But if it is, this district is not an accurate microcosm of Trump supporters more broadly."

What does the public think?

The latest opinion poll for ABC News/Washington Post found that just 42 per cent of Americans approve of the President's performance, the lowest rating since polling began in 1945. At a similar point in his presidency, Trump's predecessor Barack Obama had an approval rating of 69 per cent.

The results of the survey tie in with FiveThirtyEight's national poll tracker, which puts Trump's average approval rating at 41.6 per cent, with 52.9 per cent of people disapproving of his leadership.

"On most questions about his performance or characteristics, Trump receives more negative than positive ratings," the Washington Post says of the latest poll.

Despite this, the President's supporters remain fiercely loyal. The ABC/Post survey found that 96 per cent of people who voted for him in the November ballot would do so again today, with just two per cent regretting their vote.

Meanwhile, support for failed Democratic challenger Hillary Clinton has waned. Among those who backed her last year, just 85 per cent said they would vote the same way again, suggesting Trump would win the popular vote in a hypothetical run-off between the two candidates.

"That's not because former Clinton supporters would now back Trump," says ABC News. "Instead, they're more apt to say they'd vote for a third-party candidate or wouldn't vote."

The President, typically dismissive of opinion polls, took to Twitter to welcome the results, though failed to mention his low approval rating.

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Is it the end for Trump?

Although Trump is unpopular with the general electorate, there is little evidence to suggest that his core supporters have lost faith in his leadership – at least not yet.

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