Friday 10 February 2017 5:07 pm

Nine ways Donald Trump has already fallen out with American voters

As the latest batch of polling results are released, Donald Trump finds himself increasingly at odds with both Republican and Democrat voters, it turns out.

It's well known Trump’s approval ratings are the worst of any new President – but new figures suggest they have continued to slide since he took office on 20 January.

According to New York pollsters Public Policy Polling, Trump’s approval rating in his third week has fallen to 43 per cent, compared with Obama’s 65 per cent approval rating in his second week and George W. Bush’s approval numbers, which largely remained in the mid-50s in early 2001.

In the face of poor polling, President Trump has advised the American public that “any negative polls are fake news”. Here's a few things we learned from the latest set of numbers.

1. Voters don’t like his people

Only 27 per cent of respondents were happy with Trump's choice of education secretary, Betsy DeVos, who got through her Senate confirmation hearing only when a tie was broken by the new vice-president, Mike Pence.

2. … but they do like his sworn enemies

Some 53 per cent of Americans say they trust the judiciary over Trump. As the great man himself once said: "SEE YOU IN COURT".

3. Obamacare is becoming increasingly popular

As more Americans sign up to the Affordable Care Act, its popularity has continued to grow. Only 32 per cent of voters support the full repeal of Obamacare, while 67 per cent support modifying the existing legislation, according to the figures.

4. They prefer Saturday Night Live to Trump himself

The comedy programme famous for impressions of both Trump and Clinton recently lampooned the new White House press secretary, Sean Spicer. SNL has a credibility rating of 48/43 over Trump.

(Here's SNL's latest offering…)

5. Ditto the New York Times

The Times has been a frequent victim of Trump’s tweets, which have described the outlet as both fake news and a failing news organisation – but voters gave it 52/37 over Trump.

6. They're not fans of the travel ban

Only 22 per cent believed the Executive Order on immigration was well executed, according to Public Policy Polling. Polling on the controversial immigration measure varies significantly, with a Morning Consult/Politico poll showing overall support for the travel ban on seven predominantly Muslim countries.

A blog post on Public Policy Polling’s site noted of the 45 per cent of polled voters who supported the Executive Order, by a 51/23 margin Trump voters said that the "Bowling Green Massacre" showed why Trump's immigration policy is needed.

The Bowling Green Massacre is a fictional event referenced by Trump’s former campaign manager and key White House aide, Kellyanne Conway, to support the Executive Order on immigration. Ouch.

7. They don't approve of invading neighbouring countries

Trump has threatened to invade Mexico, a move that has only seven per cent support, according to the figures. That said, one way in which Americans are in general agreement with their President is they definitely don’t want to pay for the “beautiful wall” between the southern states and Mexico: 32 per cent of polled voters supported a 20 per cent tax on imports from Mexico to help pay for the wall, while 55 per cent were against.

8. They love Aussies

Australia has historically been one of America’s closest allies, but in a fiery phonecall with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, the President accused him of trying to export the “next Boston bomber”, according to a leaked account of the call. Meanwhile, the overwhelming majority of Americans do not share Donald Trump’s affection for either Vladimir Putin or the Russian state.

9. They want him to ditch his businesses

The figures showed 62 per cent of Americans believe Trump needs to divest himself of his business interests. Trump resigned his leadership of the Trump Organisation but critics have argued the assets he still owns should be placed in a trust.

Finally, there was one issue one which the polled voters were the most torn – Americans are divided 46/46 for and against impeaching the President.