As Donald Trump’s White House remains in crisis mode following Friday’s news that the first charges have been approved in the Russia investigation, a large majority of the country feel this administration marks a sad point for American politics.
In a new Washington Post-University of Maryland poll released Saturday, a stunning 71 percent of the country thinks politics in the Trump era has fallen to a “dangerous new low.”
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Seven in 10 Americans say the nation’s political divisions are at least as big as during the Vietnam War, according to a new poll, which also finds nearly 6 in 10 saying Donald Trump’s presidency is making the U.S. political system more dysfunctional.
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The Washington Post-University of Maryland poll — conducted nine months into Trump’s tumultuous presidency — reveals a starkly pessimistic view of U.S. politics, widespread distrust of the nation’s political leaders and their ability to compromise, and an erosion of pride in the way democracy works in America.
Not only do 71 percent of Americans believe politics has reached a new low under Trump, but 70 percent say the administration itself is “dysfunctional.”
The poll also found that a majority of the country – 51 percent – say Trump alone, not either major political party, is to blame for the dysfunction. Only 25 percent of respondents blame former President Barack Obama for the escalating political divisions, despite the president’s repeated efforts to attack his predecessor.
Overall, 68 percent of voters believe the 45th president is doing a “bad job representing the concerns of ordinary citizens,” and his approval rating stands at a dismal 38 percent.
Ultimately, Trump will continue to have a small base of supporters who keep themselves insulated from the fact-based world, but it’s becoming abundantly clear to the rest of the country – a strong majority – that this president is nothing but a stain on the country that has pulled American politics to a “dangerous” low.
Trump’s campaign of fear and minority resentment may have convinced enough people in a handful of Rust Belt states to give him a chance in 2016, but poll after poll shows many of these same voters are disgusted with his job performance and look forward to righting their wrong in 2020.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
