CNN published the approval rating of President Trump vs other presidents for their first year. Here’s the chart, which shows Trump’s approval rating is below them all:
I would blame this primarily on two things.
The first, being the unhinged media when it comes to all things Trump, especially with regard to Russia. But even on non-Russia/Trump news, the amount of negative press Trump gets is overwhelming when stacked up against what little positive press he gets, which really seems non-existent. Even the way he drinks water is now being mocked in the media.
The second, which I believe feeds into the first, is Trump’s “in your face with a can of mace” personality. I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you he’s brought on some of this negative press and low approval rating himself. His combative style, childish antics, and his need to be the center of media attention night and day has created a lot of angst, even among those who like him. From publicly attacking people in his own administration to demanding the UCLA basketball players thank him for rescuing them, to getting into a public argument with one of the fathers of the UCLA players just because he didn’t give Trump the credit he was due – Trump has certainly done himself a lot of damage.
I’ll put it like this. If someone else took over Trump’s twitter account and only tweeted essential things that they feel the public needs to know, Trump’s approval rating would probably be much higher.
I’m sure there are other factors, but I honestly believe those two are the biggest contributors.