Can you trust Trump’s approval rating polls?

For perhaps the first time since last November’s election, polls are making headlines again. Surveys from CNN, Gallup, ABC News and The Washington Post, NBC News and the Wall Street Journal and Quinnipiac University all have Donald Trump with net-negative numbers on handling his presidential transition and duties as president-elect. On average between the five surveys, 41 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s transition performance while 52 percent disapprove.

POLLSTER APPROVE DISAPPROVE CNN 40% 52% Gallup 44 51 ABC News / Washington Post 40 54 Quinnipiac University 37 51 NBC News / Wall Street Journal 44 52 Average 41 52 January polls give Trump poor marks for transition

While those numbers wouldn’t be all that out of line for a sitting president’s job approval rating — almost every recent Commander-in-Chief has endured a slump or two — they’re unusual for a president-elect. Newly-elected presidents typically enjoy high approval ratings as they transition into office. Even George W. Bush, who won the 2000 election only after a contentious recount and despite losing the popular vote, had about two-thirds of Americans approving of his transition as he prepared to take the Oath of Office.