Donald Trump’s terrible approval rating has broken a new record
Donald Trump has broken yet another record – for unpopularity.
The President’s approval rating has never gone above 46 percent since he beat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election despite receiving three million fewer votes than her.
He then reached an all-time low of 37 percent in December, after a string of reviled policy choices – such as announcing a ban on transgender people serving in the military.
And now, a year after his inauguration, he has set another unwanted record.
No President has been as unpopular after a year in office as Trump.
According to the Real Clear Politics, Trump’s approval rating is 39.4 percent – with a disapproval rating of 55.4 percent.
His deep unpopularity may be associated with his racist, homophobic and transphobic statements and policy decisions.
Just this week, it was revealed that his administration is set to allow health workers to reject transgender patients.
Under the proposed new rule, medical staff would be permitted to cite their religion as a reason to refuse treatment of any kind to trans people, according to Politico.
The move would also protect health workers who don’t want to perform abortions.
Trump also created Religious Freedom Day this week, in a presidential proclamation issued yesterday that constituted a clear assault on LGBT rights.
He made the decision after breaking with Barack Obama’s eight-year tradition of issuing annual proclamations recognising June as LGBT Pride Month.
Just last month, his administration told the Supreme Court that it should be acceptable for businesses to put up signs denying service to same-sex couples.
But that should be no surprise, considering that Trump has consistently worked to undermine and destroy protections for LGBT people since becoming President.
Among many hateful acts, he has tried to ban trans people from the military, appointed an anti-LGBT Supreme Court justice and endorsed a Republican who wants to make gay sex illegal.
He has also nominated an Army Secretary who said trans people were diseased, proposed slashing HIV AIDS funding and signed an order permitting anti-LGBT discrimination at work.
You get the picture: the man who held a Pride flag with “LGBT for TRUMP” during the campaign has revealed that in reality, he is massively anti-LGBT, in addition to his racism and misogyny.
And he has paid the price in the polls.