Obamacare Has Never Been More Popular: 45 Percent Believe It’s a Good Idea

Obama Has Highest Job Approval Rating Since First Few Months of Presidency

A Third of Americans Believe Trump’s Relationship with Putin is “Too Friendly”

JAN. 17, 2017 – President-elect Donald Trump will begin his presidency on Friday with the lowest-ever ratings for an incoming president, but also with some signs of increasing optimism for the country, according a new national NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. 

Fifty-two percent of Americans disapprove of how the president-elect has handled his transition and preparations for the Oval Office, while 44 percent approve. 38 percent of Americans view Trump positively, and 48 percent have a negative view of him. Just three-in-ten Americans have a high level of confidence that he has the right set of goals and priorities, as well as the right set of personal characteristics, to be the nation’s Commander-in-Chief.

Despite this opposition to his presidency, 43 percent of Americans believe the country will be better off five years. The number of respondents who say the country is headed in the right direction has also grown to 37 percent, up four points since last month.

The poll shows support from the public on many of Trump’s individual goals: keeping U.S. jobs from going overseas (78 percent), reducing the influence of lobbyists and big money in politics (66 percent), funding infrastructure projects (64 percent), taking an aggressive position against ISIS (59 percent) and imposing tariffs on countries who try to take advantage of trade agreements (57 percent).

Fifty-six percent of Americans approve of President Obama’s job – his highest rating since the first few months of his presidency.

Read more from the poll, including Trump receiving high marks for being direct (and lower marks for his temperament): http://nbcnews.to/2jtUJCA.

Also from the poll: the Affordable Care Act has never been more popular: http://nbcnews.to/2jkIgi3.

Plus: Numbers reveal the country is starkly divided over perceptions of Russia, Putin and the U.S. intelligence community’s assessment that the Kremlin worked to boost Trump’s White House bid: http://nbcnews.to/2jlcvp2.

MANDATORY CREDIT: NBC NEWS/WALL STREET JOURNAL

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