Des Moines–In response to Donald Trump’s historically low approval ratings heading into this Friday’s inauguration, Iowa Democratic Party Chair issued the following response:

“After campaigning on a populist message against the Washington establishment, Donald Trump has shown his true colors during the transition period. Trump’s Cabinet is filled full of wealthy stakeholders and extreme, right-wing politicians who do not represent the majority of Americans.  

“Trump’s bizarre social media practices and failure to recognize the seriousness of foreign interference in our elections chip away at his already tenuous credibility. Trump’s erratic behavior as a candidate and as President-Elect will take a much different tone on Friday as he is sworn in as President.

“When Donald Trump becomes President on Friday, January 20th, his actions will carry much more serious consequences. Picking fights with celebrities and disrespecting civil rights leaders is unbecoming of the Presidency. A late night tweet that might be laughed off today could potentially threaten national security tomorrow. Donald Trump isn’t taking the power of the Presidency seriously, and it appears the majority of Americans are experiencing buyer’s remorse.”

BACKGROUND: Despite false claims of a landslide victory, Donald Trump remains highly unpopular with the American public. Trump will take the Presidential oath of office in three days with one of the lowest approval ratings of a President-Elect in 40 years. Part of Trump’s unpopularity results from his extreme Cabinet picks and failing to live up to his campaign promises. After promising to “drain the swamp” in Washington by ridding the establishment of lobbyists and special interests, Trump has assembled some of the wealthiest Cabinet nominees in history.

Trump has backpedaled on his promise to force Mexico to pay for a wall along its border of the United States, a wall intended to curb illegal immigration. Trump’s proposed wall could cost U.S. taxpayers as much as $50 billion. On the campaign trail, Trump promised voters that a talented and persuasive businessman like himself could get Mexico to pay for the costs, and it would not cost taxpayers a penny. Mexican officials including President, Enrique Pena Nieto, have stated repeatedly that Mexico has no plans whatsoever to pay for Trump’s wall.

ABC News: Trump to Enter Office as Most Unpopular President for at Least 40 Years, Poll Finds
Donald Trump enters office as the most unpopular of at least the last seven newly elected presidents, a new ABC News/Washington Post poll finds, with ratings for handling the transition that are also vastly below those of his predecessors.

MSNBC: New polls show Trump’s honeymoon is over before it starts
As we discussed last week, once a campaign is over, most Americans ordinarily extend support to the incoming leader. This year, as the public watches Trump’s bizarre antics unfold during his transition period, the president-elect’s support is reaching depths unlike anything we’ve ever seen.

Washington Post: Here’s just how brutal Donald Trump’s pre-inauguration poll numbers are, in context
The data we do have suggest every president but Trump has experienced an outpouring of goodwill in the two months between their election and their swearing-in. Trump just hasn’t gotten it.

Washington Post: Poll: Trump draws low marks for transition, response to Russian hacking
Amid controversy and calls for additional investigations into possible Russian interference in the election, most Americans disapprove of Trump’s response to the hacking and other activities.

CNN: CNN/ORC Poll: Confidence drops in Trump transition
Following a tumultuous transition period, approval ratings for Trump’s handling of the transition are more than 20 points below those for any of his three most recent predecessors. Obama took the oath in 2009 with an 84% approval rating, 67% approved of Clinton’s transition as of late December 1992 and 61% approved of George W. Bush’s transition just before he took office in January 2001.

CBS News: Poll: Trump’s favorable ratings pre-inauguration are historically low
President Obama’s approval, before he took office in January 2009, was 83 percent, Gallup said, with only 12 percent disapproving…. Gallup noted that Mr. Trump’s 48 percent transition approval rating from December was the lowest for any presidential transition in its polling history.

Salon: Donald Trump is still wildly unpopular, and most Americans want to see his tax returns
An overwhelming majority of Americans — 74 percent — believe Trump should release his tax returns, according to a poll released by ABC News/Washington Post on Monday. This includes 49 percent of Trump’s own supporters, as well as 94 percent of Clinton’s supporters and 83 percent of respondents who either supported another candidate or none at all.

###