WASHINGTON — The tumultuous final weeks of Donald Trump’s presidency have damaged his already low public standing, with 68% of Americans saying they want Trump’s political career to end.
A Pew Research Center survey released Friday shows Trump with the lowest approval number of his presidency at 29%, driven by last week’s assault on the U.S. Capitol by a violent mob and Trump’s subsequent impeachment for instigating the attack.
Seventy-five percent of Americans — including 52% of Republicans — say Trump bears some responsibility for the Capitol riots, which led to the deaths of five people. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is now looking into alleged plots to assassinate Vice President Mike Pence and other top lawmakers, driven by baseless conspiracy theories, fueled by Trump, that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.
Only 23% of those who voted in the November election say Trump’s conduct since then has been “good” or “excellent,” down from 31% in November.
President-elect Joe Biden has received largely positive reviews of his conduct, with 64% saying he’s conducted himself well since the election.
Biden’s Cabinet choices have gotten 57% approval, and 56% say he’s done a good job explaining his policies. Four years ago, only 39% said the same about Trump.
Pew conducted the survey Jan. 8-12 among 5,360 U.S. adults, including 4,040 who said they voted in the presidential election. The margin of error is 1.9 percentage points.
