Post-Charlottesville poll: 58% of Americans do not like Trump's conduct as president

The Pew Research Center has found that only 16 percent of Americans surveyed say they like the way Donald Trump “conducts himself as president.”

Overall, 58 percent of Americans reported that they do not like the way Donald Trump conducts himself as president, and 25 percent have mixed feelings about his conduct.

While it’s not a typical approval poll, the results reflect American attitudes in the days following tragic violence in Charlottesville and suggest that President Trump’s response could have impacted how people are assessing him. Recently, Trump’s approval rating as a whole has reached a new low, with only a 34 percent approval rating on August 13, the day after the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, according to Gallup.

The Pew poll surveyed 1,893 adults between August 15 and August 21, just after the deadly violence in Charlottesville and Trump’s subsequent response blaming it on “many sides,” suggesting he was reluctant to condemn neo-Nazis and white supremacists. Trump’s response was met with criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike. For example, Republican Sen. Cory Gardner tweeted: “Mr. President — we must call evil by its name.” After initially walking back his comments, Trump doubled down by saying that there were “very fine people” marching among the neo-Nazis and white supremacists.

According to the Pew poll, within days of the events in Charlottesville and the response, Republicans on the whole appear displeased with Trump’s conduct. Just 34 percent of respondents who identify or lean Republican said they like the way Trump conducts himself, and 46 percent of respondents reported mixed feelings. Among Democrats and people who lean Democrat, 89 percent of survey respondents said they don’t like Trump’s conduct, and only 8 percent have mixed feelings.

In another related poll, which ran from August 8 to August 21, even those who identified as Trump supporters reported various issues about his presidency that worry them. Seventeen percent are “concerned” about Trump’s use of Twitter/social media, while 11 percent are concerned about his personality.

The poll also asked about issues facing the country today and whether respondents agree with Trump on any issues. The majority of Americans surveyed agree with Trump on “few” or less issues; 45 percent agree on “no or almost no” issues, while 21 percent agree on “a few.” Only 31 percent of Republicans self-reported agreeing with Trump on all or nearly all issues, while 30 percent agreed on few or no issues. Meanwhile, 77 percent of Democrats and leaning Democrats say they do not agree with Trump on issues facing America.

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