WASHINGTON, D.C. -- President Donald Trump's job approval rating continues to hold in the low 40s, with 42% of Americans approving of the job he is doing in Gallup's latest update. The 42% rating exactly matches the average for six separate measurements taken since Trump registered a personal best 46% in late April.

The latest results are based on a July 15-31 Gallup poll. The poll was conducted during a period of controversy over Trump's social media comments. Earlier in the month, he told four nonwhite Democratic members of Congress to "go back" to where they came from -- remarks that a majority of Americans deemed racist, according to a Fox News poll. Later, Trump stirred further tensions when he made unflattering remarks about the city of Baltimore, represented in Congress by Rep. Elijah Cummings, who chairs the committee that oversees many of the investigations into the Trump administration.

Also, polling occurred while special counsel Robert Mueller testified before House committees on July 24. Mueller answered questions from Congress about his findings into the investigation of possible Trump campaign ties with Russia, as well as possible obstruction of justice by Trump to impede that investigation.

Trump's frequent controversies as president have done little to change public opinion about him, with his approval ratings during his first 2 ½ years in office falling into an 11-percentage-point range between 35% and 46%.

By comparison, the average range for other elected presidents since World War II during their first 2 ½ years is 30 points. Dwight Eisenhower had the smallest range before Trump -- 18 points -- but with generally very strong ratings between 57% and 75%.

Range in Elected Presidents' Job Approval Ratings in First 2 1/2 Years in Office Low approval rating High approval rating Range % % pct. pts. Eisenhower 57 75 18 Kennedy 61 83 22 Nixon 48 67 19 Carter 28 75 47 Reagan 35 68 33 G.H.W. Bush 51 89 38 Clinton 37 59 22 G.W. Bush 51 90 39 Obama 40 69 29 Trump 35 46 11 Ratings are those measured between a president's initial rating and the last rating in July of his third year in office. Gallup

Other presidents have had approval ratings during the early part of their presidencies as low as, or lower than, Trump has had. What distinguishes Trump is the lack of very high ratings, such as those typically enjoyed during the first-year honeymoon period of a presidency, or as a result of "rally events" in which citizens show increased support for their leaders.

Demographics

Gallup conducted two July surveys, totaling over 4,500 interviews, that measured Trump's job approval. Combined data from those two surveys provide stable estimates of key subgroups. Among the highlights:

As usual, the party divide in Trump's job approval rating is vast -- 89% of Republicans and 7% of Democrats approve of the job he is doing. Independents' job approval is 38%.

A majority of Non-Hispanic whites, 53%, approve of Trump; that compares with 25% of Hispanics and 14% of Non-Hispanic blacks.

The gender gap remains wide, with 51% of men and 34% of women evaluating Trump positively.

Close to half of Americans aged 50 and older (49%) approve of Trump, while 36% of those younger than 50 do so.

Just 33% of those with postgraduate education approve of the job Trump is doing, compared with 41% of those with a four-year college degree only, 43% of those with some college, and 46% with a high school diploma or less.

Explore President Trump's approval ratings and compare them with those of past presidents in the Gallup Presidential Job Approval Center.

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