Trump Disapproval Rooted in Character Concerns

by Frank Newport

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Americans who disapprove of how Donald Trump is handling his job as president primarily base their views on his character and personality. By contrast, U.S. adults who disapproved of Barack Obama's job performance in July 2009, during his first year in office, focused mainly on his policies and stances on issues. In mid-2001, Americans who disapproved of George W. Bush were significantly more likely to explain their views with broad or general negative evaluations of his job performance.

These responses are based on questions Gallup asked in the summer of each president's first year in office. Americans who either approved or disapproved of the president's job performance explained their reasoning in their own words. Trump is the least well-evaluated of the three, with a 38% approval, 56% disapproval rating in the July 5-9 survey. At the comparable time in 2009, Obama's image was essentially the mirror opposite, at 58% approval and 36% disapproval, while Bush's in 2001 was 52% approval and 34% disapproval.

Trump's unique personal style, brashness and disregard for conventional political norms and discourse -- while clearly a negative for many during the campaign -- helped him stand out from other Republican contenders and ultimately contributed to his victory in November. Six months into his presidency, these same characteristics remain prominent in the minds of his detractors and remain the most frequently cited reasons as to why the majority of Americans think he is not doing a good job.

At the comparable early point in his presidency, Obama was in a unique situation, although not of his own making: dealing with the aftermath of the financial crisis and recession. Most of those who disapproved of Obama in July 2009 said it was due to his stance on issues and his handling of the economic crisis -- including spending too much, relying too much on government solutions for economic problems and turning the nation toward socialism. Few mentioned his character or personality traits.

Those who disapproved of George W. Bush in mid-2001, before 9/11, were more general in their reasons for their negative views of the way he was handling his job.

The detailed explanations given by those disapproving of Trump appear in the table below. Those citing his character and personality are most likely to name his temperament, arrogance and tendency to act "nonpresidential." Others comment on his inexperience and offer explanations pertaining to his self-focus, Twitter use and perceived untrustworthiness.

Those who base their disapproval of Trump on his stances on issues are most likely to mention their generic disagreement, as well as his policies on foreign affairs and healthcare. But none of these is mentioned by more than 4% of disapprovers.

Reasons for Approving of Trump Similar to Obama

Americans who approve of the job Trump is doing offer much less specific reasons than those who disapprove. Explanations for supporting Trump are distributed more evenly across the three categories -- personality, issues and broad performance evaluations. Additionally, in sharp contrast to the reasons cited by disapprovers, Trump approvers give explanations that are similar to those given by Obama approvers in 2009. Bush's supporters in 2001 were even more likely to give broad, general explanations, as was the case for his detractors.

The most frequently mentioned explanations for approving of Trump's job performance are general statements that he is doing the best he can under difficult circumstances, and that he is keeping his promises and doing what is best for the country. Some mention his work on job creation and the economy, but these appear with relatively low frequency.

Arguably, Trump's most visible focus as president has been on policies dealing with terrorism and immigration, but few mention those areas as the reason for their support. Among those approvers mentioning his personality traits, the most frequently cited responses are that he shows strong leadership and that he is not part of the Washington establishment. (Detailed responses appear in the table below.)

In short, the core group of about four in 10 Americans who like what Trump is doing as president are quite general when asked to give their reasons, suggesting that this group -- mostly Republicans -- may approve as much because Trump is a president from their party as any highly specific element of Trump's personality or accomplishment.

Bottom Line

These results make it abundantly clear that Trump's unique style, flouting of convention and non-normative patterns of White House behavior are driving his high disapproval ratings among the American public -- rather than disagreement with his policies or issue stances. The results also show that these same traits are not highly likely to be mentioned by those who approve of the job he is doing. His supporters instead give a mix of broad explanations for their approval, not unlike what Obama's supporters said about him in 2009.

Trump has not changed his behavior or style since taking office, making it appear unlikely that he will do so in the months and years ahead. That, in turn, suggests it is unlikely that the majority of Americans who disapprove of his job performance will change their minds about him -- unless he manages to pull off dramatic domestic or international accomplishments that overshadow his behavior in the minds of his detractors.

Historical data are available in Gallup Analytics.

Explore President Trump's approval ratings in depth and compare them with those of past presidents in the Gallup Presidential Job Approval Center.