Finally an appropriate use of Unprecedented. Unprecedented Failure. Politico:
No transition honeymoon for Trump
Trump's popularity lags well behind past presidents-elect….
Americans remain sharply divided in their feelings toward Trump, according to recent polls, and a new Gallup survey out Wednesday shows Americans are now split on Trump’s White House-in-waiting, putting him at risk of entering the presidency with much of the country lined up against him, his team and his key initiatives.
Previous presidents earned high marks for how they handled their transitions and enjoyed brief honeymoons upon entering the Oval Office. But in the Gallup poll, 48 percent of Americans said they approve of the way Trump is handling his transition — the same percentage that disapproves of Trump’s performance as president-elect. That contrasts with now-President Barack Obama’s 75 percent approval rating in mid-December 2008.
It’s also considerably worse than former President George W. Bush’s ratings during his truncated transition after the bitterly contested 2000 election. In early January 2001, nearly two-thirds of Americans, 65 percent, approved of Bush, who took office after losing the popular vote in a disputed race.
Trump lags his predecessors in large part because Democrats aren’t warming to him. Only 17 percent of self-identified Democrats approve of how Trump is handling the transition, along with just 46 percent of independents.
UPDATE — Pew Research did a similar poll, with even worse numbers for Trump:
Americans are less approving of President-elect Donald Trump than they were of previous presidents during their transitions into office, a new Pew Research Group poll shows.
Americans say Trump has also done too little to distance himself from white supremacists. And a majority are concerned that his business ties will present conflicts.
As Trump prepares to take office, 41% say they approve of the job he has done explaining his plans and policies for the future of the American people, while 55% say they disapprove of the job Trump has done.
That 41% approval rating is lower than President Barack Obama's 72% in December 2008 and President George W. Bush's 50% in January 2001 -- in the wake of a disputed election. It's also lower than President Bill Clinton's 62% in January 1993 and President George H.W. Bush's 65% in March 1989.
As a reminder, here are the latest popular vote totals:
Hillary 65,790,019
Donald 62,951,513