According to a NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll published on Jan. 15, President-Elect Donald Trump will start off his position with 52 percent of Americans disapproving of his transition and only 44 percent approving. This sums up the mixed feelings across the country upon his inauguration. It’s no wonder that protests will soon be breaking out across America, and that Washington D.C. will be in a frenzy come inauguration day.
In a typical fashion, Trump turned to his best friend, Twitter, to declare his belief that that the poll results were “rigged.”
The same people who did the phony election polls, and were so wrong, are now doing approval rating polls. They are rigged just like before.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 17, 2017
In comparison with past incoming presidents, the approval ratings were 71 percent for Barack Obama’s transition, 77 percent for Bill Clinton’s transition, and 57 percent for George W. Bush’s first couple of months in office, according to NBC News.
Another poll by ABC/The Washington Post found a large disparity between Republicans and Democrats in their views about Trump. According to the poll, over eight out of 10 Republicans believe Trump to be qualified for the presidency, while about two out of 10 Democrats believe that he is not qualified. This goes to show the polarization between parties. Independents are almost evenly divided, according to The Washington Post.
If there is any optimism in these numbers, it’s that the 52-percent disapproval rating is the lower than it was during the campaign. Good for Trump—he’s improving! But the fact remains that the majority of Americans think Trump is taking us down the wrong path.
There’s no question that the political climate is quite heated at the moment. Hopefully we’ll make it through this weekend with our country intact. Stay safe, and encourage others to do the same.