President Donald Trump's approval rating has hit a new low at 39 percent, with 56 percent disapproving, in a Politico/Morning Consult poll released on Wednesday.
This compares to a 44 percent approval rating last week, when 52 percent disapproved. Trump's previous all-time low approval rating in a Politico poll, at 40 percent, was registered two weeks ago.
Other key points from the survey, which was conducted entirely after Trump's various reactions to the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, include:
- Self-identified Republican voters registered the largest decline in support from last week, to 73 percent from 81 percent, while the president's approval rating slid just a single point among Democrats and independents.
- 37 percent say Trump's reaction to the Charlottesville events — condemning hate groups, but also citing good and bad people on both sides of the protests — was appropriate, while 46 percent say it was inappropriate.
- 43 percent blame the white nationalist protesters most for the violence, while 36 percent say both the white nationalists and the counter protesters are equally to blame, and 9 percent blame the counter protesters most.
- Among those who approve of Trump's job performance, only 15 percent assign more blame to the white nationalists, while 56 percent blame both groups equally, and 15 percent blame the counter protesters.
- Only 16 percent of voters said Trump's response to Charlottesville was unifying.
A majority of voters have low opinions of Trump's character and competence:
- 51 percent of voters said he is not a strong leader.
- 53 percent said he is not moral.
- 55 percent said that he isn't stable.
- 58 percent call him reckless.
- 52 percent said he isn't honest.
- 52 percent said that he doesn't care about people like them.
- 56 percent say he can't unite the country.
- 41 percent said the president is knowledgeable, while 47 percent said he isn't.
- 35 percent said he keeps his promises, while 49 percent said he doesn't.
- 41 percent said he is capable, and 48 percent say he isn't.
Only 26 percent said Trump will win re-election, 51 percent say he won't, and 23 percent have no opinion.
Asked whom they would rather see as president, voters overall pick Vice President Mike Pence over Trump, 34 percent to 30 percent, with 35 percent undecided. But among GOP voters, 58 percent would rather have Trump as president, compared with 28 percent who picked Pence.
The poll was conducted last Thursday through Saturday. It surveyed 1,987 registered voters and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.