Politics
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Donald Trump.
President Donald Trump's approval rating fell to a new low on Wednesday, dropping from 37% to 34%, according to a new poll conducted by Quinnipiac University.The poll found that 57% of voters disapprove of the president's performance, a figure approaching Trump's record high of 58% from April.
Trump's approval rating was heavily correlated to party affiliation - 81% of Republican respondents expressed approval of Trump's performance, while a paltry 4% of Democrats said the same. Trump earned praise from 35% of independents.
The poll caps a two-week period that was fraught with unpopular moves from the president. Last week, Trump announced his intent to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, a move that 62% of poll respondents disapproved of. The president was earned scorn last week for criticizing the mayor of London in the aftermath of a deadly terrorist attack in London.
The poll also comes amid mounting scrutiny surrounding the FBI's investigation into Trump and campaign associates' possible ties to Russian interference during the 2016 election. Former FBI Director James Comey, whom Trump fired in May, is due to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday, when he will reveal details about his private interactions with Trump.
The numbers reflect the public's growing distrust surrounding possible Trump-Russia connections - 31% of respondents said Trump did something illegal in dealing with Russia, with an additional 29% saying he did something unethical but not illegal.
The numbers rose when voters were asked about Trump's campaign advisers - 40% said they did something illegal in dealing with Russia, and an 25% said they did something unethical but not illegal.
More than two thirds of voters - 68% - reported they were "very concerned" or "somewhat concerned" about Trump's relationship with Russia. And 54% said the president was too close to the foreign power.
32% of respondents said Trump did nothing wrong with Russia.
"There is zero good news for President Donald Trump in this survey, just a continual slide into a chasm of doubt about his policies and his very fitness to serve," Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac poll, said in a statement.