US President hits a new low with the American people

Former FBI Director James Comey walks at his home in McLean, Virginia. Photo / AP

US President Donald Trump is dealing with a budding scandal after his decision to fire FBI Director James Comey yesterday.

But even before that, he appears to have hit a new low with the American people.

A new poll from Quinnipiac University shows Trump's disapproval rating rising to 58 per cent - a new high in Quinnipiac's regular polling and the highest in a high-quality, non-tracking poll since his inauguration. Just 36 per cent approved of Trump's job performance.

The only other poll to show his disapproval that high since his inauguration was Gallup, which briefly showed his disapproval rating ticking up to 59 per cent in March before it dropped to 52 per cent a week later.

The Quinnipiac poll also shows the president's favourable rating - more of a personal measure than a job measure - dropping to a new low of 35 per cent. The percentage of Americans who strongly approve of him is tied for an all-time low at 25 per cent. And the percentage who strongly disapprove has reached an all-time high of 51 per cent.

Trump also his worst numbers to date - across 10 separate Q polls since the 2016 election - on the following measures:

Honesty: Just 33 per cent say he is

Good leadership skills: 56 per cent say he doesn't have them

Caring about average people: 59 per cent say he doesn't

Being level-headed: Voters say 66-29 he's not (unlike the other numbers here, this is tied for all-time worst, not setting a new one)

Being intelligent: Voters say only 56-41 that he is

Sharing your values: Voters say 64-32 that he doesn't

How he's treated the news media: Voters disapprove 65-31

Whether people trust him or the media more for the truth: 57 per cent media, 31 per cent Trump (even 17 per cent of Republicans pick the media over their president)

Interestingly, the reason the numbers have ticked down appears to be the group that elected Trump in the first place: white, working-class voters.

Whites without college degrees approved of Trump 57 per cent to 38 per cent in the mid-April Q poll and 51-39 in late March/early May; today they are split, with 47 per cent approving and 46 per cent disapproving.

Republicans still haven't deserted him, which means it might take some doing before his approval rating drops much lower.

But there certainly seems to be some slight cracks in Trump's base.

And you have to wonder whether the Comey decision - which even congressional Republicans are criticising - might pry those cracks open just a bit wider.