Trump’s approval rating plunges, as poll shows most Americans support second impeachment

More than 50% per cent believe that the Senate should convict and remove Mr Trump from office

A new poll has shown support for President Donald Trump plummeting just a week from the end of his presidency, with his approval rating plunging to 34 per cent.

The Politico and Morning Consult poll puts Mr Trump's disapproval rating at 63 per cent, while 40 per cent of Republicans and conservative independents now say that they would vote for Mr Trump if he ran for President in 2024 in the GOP primary.

Kyle Dropp, co-founder and president of Morning Consult, told Politico: “President Trump’s role in fomenting last week’s insurrection at the U.S. Capitol is negatively impacting his future political prospects, even among his base."

Among all of those who took part in the Politico/Morning Consult poll, 55 per cent agreed that Mr Trump should resign the presidency before the end of his term and 54 per cent agreed that the Senate should convict and remove Mr Trump from the office after a House impeachment.

Another poll, by Quinnipiac, released on Monday, showed the president with even lower numbers of 33 percent.

Mr Trump's approval rating has been astonishingly stable over the last four years, ranging in between 36 and 46 per cent according to an average of polls by FiveThirtyEight.

Presidents who left office with majorities of Americans disapproving of their job performance include George W Bush, Jimmy Carter, and Richard Nixon. It now looks very likely that Mr Trump will join that group as one of the most unpopular presidents ever as he leaves office.

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The drop in his rating comes from a fall in support among independents and members of his own party as Mr Trump already was overwhelmingly disapproved of among Democrats.

Among those who identify as Republicans, 75 per cent still approve of Mr Trump, but that is down from 83 per cent from a similar December poll. A comparable trend can be seen among independents, 29 per cent of whom now approve of Mr Trump compared to 38 per cent in December. The poll surveyed the views of 1,996 people, 702 of whom were Republicans or conservative independents. The poll was conducted from 8-11 January as the House was preparing to impeach Mr Trump for a second time.

Other polls also showed a decline in Mr Trump's approval. FiveThirtyEight's average of polls shows that 55.6 per cent disapprove and 40.2 per cent approve of Mr Trump, down from 44.6 per cent on November 12, shortly after the election.

The last one-term president, George HW Bush, saw his approval rating rise between his election loss and the inauguration of his successor Bill Clinton. At 32 per cent before the 1992 election, Mr Bush left office with an approval rating of 56 per cent, Gallup recorded. Mr Carter left with an approval rating of 34 per cent and Mr Nixon hovered at 24 per cent as he resigned in August 1974.

The only other possible 2024 Republican primary candidate who got double-digit support was Vice President Mike Pence who registered at 18 per cent.