Trump's approval rating hits all-time low following US Capitol riot
US President Donald Trump walks from Marine One after arriving on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, October 1, 2020, following campaign events in New Jersey. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
President Trump's approval rating plunged to an all-time low of 29%, 9 points lower than it was in August 2020, according to a Pew Research poll released Friday.
Growing GOP disenchantment is driving the decline, with just 60% of Republicans now rating President Trump's job performance positively, down from 77% in August.
The deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 by a pro-Trump mob appears to be tarnishing the president politically as he prepares to leaves office, still refusing to acknowledge that Joe Biden won the election, fair and square.
More than half of Americans (52%) say President Trump bears "a lot" of responsibility for the riot, and another 23% say he bears "some" responsibility.
The president, meanwhile, has deflected any blame for the insurrection, which left five people dead, including a Capitol Police officer. During a rally preceding the riot, President Trump urged fired-up protesters to march on the Capitol and "fight."
"People thought that what I said was totally appropriate," he told reporters earlier this week outside the White House.
(Photo by Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The House impeached the president Wednesday for "incitement of insurrection" on a 232-197 vote with bipartisan support, making President Trump the only president to be impeached twice.
According to Pew, 54% of Americans think President Trump should be removed from office while 45% think President Trump should finish his term.
President Trump is unlikely to be forced out of office, though, before Biden is sworn in on Wednesday.
Even after President Trump exits the White House, the Senate impeachment trial will matter, since a conviction could result in President Trump being prohibited from ever holding office again. In the new Congress, 17 Republican senators would have to vote to convict, along with all 50 Democrats.
According to Pew, less than a third of Americans (29%) want President Trump to continue being a major political figure, while 68% say he should retire from politics.
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