Trump heads into inauguration with historically low poll numbers

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Americans, it seem, can't agree on much, but three new polls show remarkable consistency in how they view President-elect Donald Trump, just days before he is sworn in as America's 45th president. On Tuesday, CNN/ORC and Washington Post/ABC News polls agreed with a Gallup poll from Monday showing Trump with a transition approval (CNN/ORC) and favorability rating of 40 percent, at least 20 points below those of any of his recent predecessors. Majorities of 55 percent (Gallup) and 54 percent (WaPo) view Trump unfavorably, and his approval and favorability numbers have actually fallen since November in the CNN poll. President Obama's favorability numbers before his inauguration were about 80 percent in all three polls.

The Washington Post/ABC News and CNN/ORC polls were both conducted Jan. 12-15 by phone with samples of 1,005 and 1,000 adults, respectively. Both have overall sampling margins of error of ±3.5 percentage points.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.