Skip to content

After Sacking Comey, Trump Faces Lowest Approval Ratings Yet

Poll for End Citizens United shows support for independent Russia investigation

President Donald Trump delivers keynote address during the commencement at Liberty University on Saturday in Lynchburg, Va. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump delivers keynote address during the commencement at Liberty University on Saturday in Lynchburg, Va. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

A new poll shows President Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen to its lowest level since his inauguration.

The poll from Public Policy Polling, which was conducted for the liberal group End Citizens United, found Trump’s approval seriously underwater, with only 39 percent approving of his job performance and 56 percent opposed.

The results were shared exclusively with CQ Roll Call ahead of their public release.

The survey was conducted quickly, last Thursday and Friday, after the unexpected announcement that Trump had fired FBI Director James B. Comey.

Of the 698 respondents in the automated telephone survey, 51 percent opposed Trump’s decision to terminate Comey. It is the lowest Trump approval that PPP has found since January 20.

The Comey firing has led liberal-leaning groups to become even more vocal in their advocacy for an independent inquiry into alleged efforts by Russia to interfere in the 2016 presidential election.

End Citizens United, the group sponsoring the PPP poll, has joined with Every Voice on a digital ad campaign and petition drive targeting eight Republican senators, including Dean Heller of Nevada and Jeff Flake of Arizona, who are both Democratic targets going into 2018.

A clear majority, some 61 percent of respondents to the poll being released later Monday, want to see some sort of independent investigation into possible Russian activities including any connections to Trump’s campaign aides. That’s higher than the percentage of people surveyed who said they already believe that the Russians were involved in the 2016 election.

Given the timing of the survey, the poll would have been in the field at the time Trump sent an eyebrow-raising tweet about the possibility of “tapes” of his earlier conversations with Comey.

The poll had a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points. 

Recent Stories

Capitol Lens | O’s face

Mayorkas impeachment headed to Senate for April 11 trial

Muslim American appeals court nominee loses Democratic support

At the Races: Lieberman lookback

Court says South Carolina can use current congressional map

Joseph Lieberman: A Capitol life in photos