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Poll: Trump approval during transition lower than predecessors

A new poll finds that president-elect Donald Trump’s public approval is lower than that of his predecessors during the transition period.

The survey from the Pew Research Center says that 40 percent of the public approve of Mr. Trump’s Cabinet picks and high-level appointments and 41 percent approve of his job so far in explaining his policies for the future. A majority -- 55 percent -- say that they disapprove of the job he’s done explaining his policies and plans.

Do Trump's Cabinet picks have a "public service instinct?" 03:43

A month after the 2008 election, 71 percent approved of President Obama’s Cabinet picks and 72 percent approved of how he explained his plans for the future. In 2001, 58 percent approved of President George W. Bush’s high-level appointments and 50 percent approved of his job explaining his future plans.

According to the poll, a plurality, 38 percent say Mr. Trump will be a poor or terrible president while 35 percent say he’ll be a good or great president and 18 percent said he’ll be average. These ratings are actually more positive than what he received during the campaign when a quarter said Trump would be a good or great president but 57 percent said he’ll be poor or terrible.

Nearly two-thirds think Trump is reckless and has poor judgment and 68 percent said he is hard to like. Just under a third said Trump is well-qualified to serve as commander in chief.

Large majorities of Democrats and Republicans said Trump needs to be more cautious about what he says and tweets when he enters the White House next year.

The poll surveyed 1,502 adults between Nov. 30 and Dec. 5 with a 2.9 percentage point margin of error.

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