Nearly half polled predict Donald Trump will be remembered as unsuccessful president

Fewer than one-third of Americans believe President Trump will be remembered as a successful leader, a Pew Research Center poll revealed Friday.

Twenty-nine percent of adults surveyed this month told pollsters that they believe Mr. Trump will be regarded in the long run as a successful president, compared to 47 percent who predicted the history books will describe his legacy as “unsuccessful,” Pew reported.

Nearly a quarter of respondents – 23 percent – said it was too early to tell whether Mr. Trump’s presidency will be remembered as successful or otherwise, Pew reported.

Surveyed days prior to Mr. Trump starting his third year in office, respondents answered far more pessimistically than in polls conducted during comparable points in previous administrations, Pew reported. Thirty-four percent of respondents polled around the same point in former President Bill Clinton’s administration predicted he would be remembered as unsuccessful, while only 20 percent and 26 percent answered similarly when surveyed during equivalent points in the administrations of former President George W. Bush and Barack Obama, respectively.

Fifty-eight percent said they trust Mr. Trump less than previous presidents, up from 51 percent near the start of his administration, Pew reported.

The results of the latest survey are based on questions asked of 1,505 adults between Jan. 9 and Jan. 14, according to Pew.

Mr. Trump officially begins the third year of his term on Sunday, January 20.

Thirty-seven percent of respondents approve of Mr. Trump’s job in office, compared to 59 percent who disapprove, according to the latest Pew poll. Only one of the last five presidents — Ronald Reagan — had a lower job approval rating at the same point in his presidency, Pew reported. Fifty-four percent disapproved of Regan’s performance when surveyed during a comparable time in his presidency, the pollster’s report said.

The results of a similar poll released Friday by Rasmussen Reports placed Mr. Trump’s job approval rating at 44 percent, meanwhile. Regarded as a conservative-leaning pollster, Rasmussen placed the Republican president’s approval rating earlier in the week at 43 percent on Monday — his lowest since January 2018.