We're Entering The New Year With The Worst President Ever-- What Do Americans Think About That?

Now Trump is whining/tweeting that Obama isn’t helping make it as smooth a transition as he expected. In the early 1930s German Chancellor Heinrich Brüning's agenda was typical austerity claptrap— and, predictably— it wasn’t working… except for Hitler, whose Nazi party rose in popularity by opposing it. The transition from the moderate mainstream parties’ government to Hitler’s Nazi government was fairly smooth… and then came the Reichstag fire, followed by the Enabling Act giving the divisive Hitler, whose Nazis didn’t have a majority in Parliament, the ability to pass extra-constitutional laws without parliament.

I’m not certain how popular/unpopular Hitler was in German in 1933. He never did win a majority. The deplorables, though, adored him. Today Gallup released it’s annual “most admired” poll. Normally the incumbent president comes in first, although in 2008, President-elect Obama beat George W. Bush. This year President-elect Trump didn’t come anywhere near that, scoring 15% to Obama’s 22%, giving him his 9th win in a row. Only two other people scored more than 1%— Pope Francis and Bernie Sanders.

Gallup reports that “Americans named Hillary Clinton the Most Admired Woman for the 15th consecutive year and 21st time overall. Since her initial win in 1993 as first lady, Clinton has topped the list every year but 1995 and 1996 (when she finished behind Mother Teresa) and 2001 (behind Laura Bush). Eleanor Roosevelt has the second-most No. 1 finishes among women, at 13.” She scored 12% to second-place Michelle Obama’s 8%. Rounding out the top 10 were Angela Merkel, Oprah Winfrey, Allen DeGeneres, Queen Elizabeth, Malala Yousafzai, Condoleeza Rice, Elizabeth Warren and (tied with Dolly Parton) Sarah Palin.

The latest PPP survey, earlier this month, found that although Trump is a little bit more popular than he was during the campaign (+4% since late September), a majority of Americans still have a negative opinion of him. 43% of voters view Trump favorably to 51% who have an unfavorable view of him.

Trump's popularity continues to pale in comparison to Barack Obama's. Obama ends his final year in office with a 50/45 approval spread. When it comes to the question of who voters trust more to pick the new Supreme Court justice, Obama beats out Trump 52-45.

Voters don't think that Trump's Electoral College victory while losing the popular vote is really fair- 50% think the candidate who receives the most votes nationally in the election should become President, to only 37% who disagree with that concept. Over the course of the campaign we found there was a cult like aspect to Trump's support, where any idea he put forth a substantial share of his supporters would go along with. We see that trend continuing post election. 60% of Trump voters think that Hillary Clinton received millions of illegal votes to only 18% who disagree with that concept and 22% who aren't sure either way.

• 40% of Trump voters insist that he won the national popular vote to only 49% who grant that Clinton won it and 11% who aren't sure.

• Only 53% of Trump voters think that California's votes should be allowed to count in the national popular vote. 29% don't think they should be allowed to count, and another 18% are unsure.

There's been a lot of attention to the way fake news has spread and been believed especially by Trump supporters and that's borne out in our polling:

• 73% of Trump voters think that George Soros is paying protesters against Trump to only 6% who think that's not true, and 21% who aren't sure one way or the other. (I personally had to explain to my Grandmother that this wasn't true a few weeks ag0 after someone sent her an e-mail about it.)

• 14% of Trump supporters think Hillary Clinton is connected to a child sex ring run out of a Washington DC pizzeria. Another 32% aren't sure one way or another, much as the North Carolinian who went to Washington to check it out last weekend said was the case for him. Only 54% of Trump voters expressly say they don't think #Pizzagate is real.

• While Trump's favorability rating is negative at 43/51, Saturday Night Live’s is positive at 48/33.

• There's 89/8 support nationally for expanded background checks on gun purchases, including support from 96% of Clinton voters and 81% of Trump voters

• There's 84/8 support nationally for barring those on the Terror Watch List from buying guns, including support from 90% of Clinton voters and 80% of Trump voters.

• There's 76% support nationally for increasing the minimum wage to at least $10 an hour, including support from 95% of Clinton voters and 54% of Trump voters.