Fifty-three percent of those polled said they hold either very or somewhat negative feelings toward Hillary Clinton, while 52 percent said the same of President Donald Trump. Trump hits new low in public opinion — but he's still beating Hillary Clinton

The number of Americans who say they hold positive views of President Donald Trump has dropped to its lowest point since his inauguration, according to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Wednesday.

But the survey offered Trump at least one potential bit of solace: He’s still beating Hillary Clinton.


Just 36 percent of those reached by pollsters said they have either very or somewhat positive feelings about Trump, 2 points lower than in the poll’s June iteration. But at 36 percent, Trump still finished 6 points higher than Clinton, his 2016 Democratic opponent, about whom just 30 percent of respondents said they feel either very or somewhat positive.

The 2016 rivals were nearly deadlocked among those with negative feelings. Fifty-three percent of those polled said they hold either very or somewhat negative feelings toward Clinton, while 52 percent said the same of Trump.

While the president has struggled at times through the early months of his presidency, feuding with members of his own party, fueling racial tensions and failing thus far to push through a major legislative victory, Clinton has mostly stayed quiet, aside from an occasional speaking engagement.

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In recent weeks, excerpts from her forthcoming book, titled “What Happened,” have trickled out, including bits in which she recalls being put off by Trump’s behavior during one of their debates and passages published by CNN that are critical of former FBI Director James Comey, former Vice President Joe Biden and her primary opponent, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

The president’s approval rating in the poll was unchanged relative to June, remaining at 40 percent. The share of respondents who said they disapprove of Trump’s job performance also remained the same, at 55 percent.

Respondents expressed warm feelings for former President Barack Obama, about whom 51 percent said they feel positive, compared with 35 percent who said they hold negative feelings about him. Forty-four percent said they feel positive about Sanders, and 45 percent said the same of former President George W. Bush. Thirty percent of those polled said they hold negative feelings toward both Sanders and Bush.

The NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll was conducted Aug. 5-9, contacting 1,200 adults nationwide via landlines and cellphones. The poll’s margin of error was plus or minus 2.82 percentage points.

