Trump approval ratings dip below 40 percent

WASHINGTON (AA) - President Donald Trump's nationwide approval ratings after a month in office are the worst in 60 years, according to polling data released Friday.

Only 38 percent of Americans agree with the job Trump is doing, according to latest data compiled by polling firm Gallup. That's matched by 56 percent of Americans who disapprove of the president’s efforts thus far.

The poll, with a three point margin of error, found that Trump is 23 points below average for presidents following their first month in office.

Historically, presidential approval ratings average around 60 percent as their first month draws to a close. Trump's figure in the high 30's sits 11 points below the lowest mid-February statistic for any other president, according to Gallup.

Trump assumed office on Jan. 20 with the lowest approval rating on record -- the only president to have less than half of Americans support him on his first day.

Since then, Trump has pursued a number of controversial executive orders, including a now defunct measure to bar residents of seven Muslim-majority countries from coming to the U.S., which he has promised to replace next week after it was defeated in the courts.

And his administration has been dogged by scathing media reports that have brought to light controversies which have so far resulted in the ouster of one senior administration official -- former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn.

"It is clear that Trump has not enjoyed the same honeymoon phase his predecessors had -- and to the extent he has had one, it has only been among his fellow Republicans," Gallup said.

"The immediate prospects for improvement in Trump's support do not appear good," it added.