While president-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office as the 45th president of the US next year, 55 percent of the general public say that they disapprove of the job he has thus far done in explaining his policies and future plans for America, a recent Pew Research Center study has shown.

Trump's approval rating is, at this stage, lower than previous presidents coming off of their election victories- G.H.W Bush had 65 percent approval in 1989, Bill Clinton had 62 percent approval in 1993, GW Bush had 50 percent approval in 2001 and Barack Obama had 72 percent approval in 2008.

Around 79 percent of Republican voters said that they approve of the job Donald Trump has done in outlining his future plans. Across all political leanings, the figure is only 41 percent rate of approval.Moreover, Trump has received low marks for his initial cabinet appointments. 50 percent of those surveyed said that they disapprove of Trump's appointments while only 40 percent approved.

More people think Trump will be a poor president

Trump's latest cabinet appointment, labour secretary Andy Pudzer, has already faced staunch criticism for stating that he "likes women eating burgers in bikinis". Overall, 35 percent of those interviewed think that Trump will be either a great or good president, while 38 percent think he will be either poor or terrible.

Further to Trump's disapproval rating, many of those interviewed perceive him as an unsavory character. Around six in ten-58 percent- sad they had an unfavorable view of the president-elect, with only 37 percent viewing Trump favourably. In previous years, Obama enjoyed a 79 percent personal favourability rating while G.W Bush and Clinton enjoyed 60 percent and 66 percent personal favourability rankings respectively.

Problems Ahead

The standout figure from the report is as alarming as it is problematic. Over 54 percent of those interviewed said that Trump hasn't done enough to distance himself from white nationalist groups. Less than one-third of those interviewed perceive Trump has done enough to distance himself from the endorsement of the Klu Klux Klan and burgeoning white supremacist groups.

Almost two-thirds of those interview-65 percent - stated that they were either somewhat or very concerned about Trump's potential conflicts of interest when it comes to policy making and ties to foreign governments.