US President Donald Trump's approval rating appears to be sinking, with three recent polls showing Americans think he is doing a worse job than his predecessor, Joe Biden.
A Harvard Caps/Harris poll conducted at the end of January found that 51 per cent of registered voters regard Mr Trump as doing a worse job than Mr Biden, compared with 49 per cent who said he is doing better.
A YouGov/Economist poll from last week found that only 46 per cent of those surveyed consider Mr Trump is doing a better job as president.
And a Rasmussen poll carried out this month showed that 48 per cent of people surveyed believed Mr Biden did a better job, compared with 40 per cent who said Mr Trump was better, and 8 per cent who said they both performed the same. The results of the poll, which traditionally returns Republican-leaning results, have caused some consternation in conservative circles.
The similar results across three polls indicate a broad souring against Mr Trump.
Mr Biden, now 83, left office with an approval rating of 40 per cent, according to Gallup, after being forced off the presidential campaign trail amid concerns over his fitness for the job.
One year into his second term in the White House, Mr Trump's approval rating has slipped as low as 37 per cent, according to some polls – almost two percentage points lower than after his first year in office during his previous term.
The polls could indicate trouble as Mr Trump and his Republicans prepare for the midterm elections. While the incumbent's party typically loses ground during the midterms, the elections are a way voters can voice their disapproval of a sitting president.
Mr Trump was defiant about the low numbers.
"The highest poll numbers I have ever received. Obviously, people like a strong and powerful country, with the best economy, ever," he recently said in a post on Truth Social. It was unclear to which numbers he was referring.
