Under Donald Trump's tax plan, money may return to the US from overseas but the question remains, would that lead to investment in American jobs. Credit:Bloomberg But the President's balance sheet overall tilts toward the negative. Majorities of Americans say Trump has not accomplished much during his first months as President. Meanwhile, he shows little improvement on his temperament and honesty and, while he has gained ground on empathy, more than six in 10 still say he does not understand the problems of people like them. With a week remaining before his 100th day in office, Trump has yet to achieve a major legislative accomplishment, having been dealt a major setback when Republicans in Congress decided not to proceed with a vote on a healthcare bill supported by the White House. His clearest achievement is the successful nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court seat previously held by conservative Justice Antonin Scalia.

Six in 10 Americans say they disapprove of the major White House roles Trump has given to his daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner. Credit:AP Executive actions on trade, immigration, climate and government organisation have pointed the direction in which Trump wants to take the country, though his controversial proposed entry ban that affects a number of Muslim-majority nations remains blocked by the courts. Trump and others in his administration have attacked the courts, accusing them of overreach, but nearly six in 10 people see the courts' actions as a legitimate role for the judicial branch. Overseas, he has demonstrated his willingness to use military force, with targeted strikes in Syria and the use of one of the biggest non-nuclear devices in the US arsenal in Afghanistan. But tensions with North Korea remain high, and the administration's policy in the Middle East remains cloudy.

The 100-day marker is an artificial measuring post for any president, but by comparison, Trump has reached this point in his presidency faring much worse than other recent presidents. An electorate that was deeply divided throughout the 2016 campaign remains so today, with opposition seemingly hardened and unyielding on most questions regarding his presidency. The President's approval rating stands at 42 per cent, the lowest recorded at this stage of a presidency dating to Dwight Eisenhower. Trump's 53 per cent disapproval rating is 14 percentage points higher than Bill Clinton's 39 per cent disapproval in April 1993, the worst before Trump. Eight years ago, then-president Barack Obama's approval was 69 per cent, his disapproval 26 per cent. The Post-ABC poll finds 43 per cent of Americans said they strongly disapprove of Trump's performance. That's also the worst by far of any president since George H.W. Bush by more than double. In the spring of 1993, 21 per cent said they strongly disapproved of Clinton's performance. Americans split at 35 per cent apiece on whether Trump is doing a better or worse job than expected, with the rest saying he's neither above nor below their expectations.

There are no signs of major slippage in support among those who voted for Trump. His approval rating among those who cast ballots for him stands at 94 per cent. Among Republicans, it is 84 per cent. Asked of those who voted for him whether they regret doing so, 2 per cent say they do, while 96 per cent say supporting Trump was the right thing to do. When asked whether they would vote for him again, 96 per cent say they would, which is higher than the 85 per cent of Hillary Clinton voters who say they would support her again. Bill Clinton also had a rocky start to his presidency, which coloured public judgments of his presidency by the 100-day mark. Although 42 per cent say Trump has accomplished either a great deal or a good amount so far, that is slightly higher than the 37 per cent who said the same about Clinton in 1993. One of Trump's biggest deficiencies, compared with those of other presidents, is whether he is honest and trustworthy. Fewer than four in 10 (38 per cent) say he is. At this point in their presidencies, 74 per cent said Obama was honest, 62 per cent said George W. Bush was honest, and a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll showed 61 per cent said Clinton was honest. Another gap is on the question of whether Trump can be trusted in a crisis. The poll finds that 43 per cent - about the same as Trump's approval rating - say he can be trusted; 73 per cent said so for Obama and 65 per cent for George W. Bush at this point in their presidencies.

On the specific question of how Trump has dealt with North Korea, 46 per cent say he has been about right in his posture, 37 per cent say he is too aggressive and 7 per cent say he is too cautious. On most questions about his performance or characteristics, Trump receives more negative than positive ratings. The most notable exception is his effort to pressure US companies on the issues of keeping jobs at home, where 73 per cent of Americans approve, including 54 per cent of Democrats. Another issue where the public sides with Trump rather than his critics is whether it is a conflict of interest for Trump to spend time at his own properties. A 54 per cent majority say he has the right to travel where he wants to go. But on another question, about six in 10 Americans say they disapprove of the major White House roles Trump has given to his daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner. The Post-ABC survey reveals a persistent gender gap, with women generally more negative toward the president than men, including double-digit gaps on Trump's attributes such as honesty and temperament. Just over one-third of women (35 per cent) approve of the way he is handling the job of president, compared with 48 per cent of men. Despite the public's scepticism of Trump's first 100 days, the survey finds little evidence that voters would render a different verdict from last November, when Trump won key states needed to secure victory in the electoral college despite Clinton winning more votes nationwide.

The Washington Post