WASHINGTON _ President Donald Trump is very unpopular, but an even smaller percentage of the American people approves of the job Speaker of the House Paul D. Ryan is doing, a new study shows.
The Pew Research study released Monday shows just 29 percent of Americans approve of Ryan's performance. That number is one of the few that rank below Trump, who has been consistently one of the least-liked presidents compared with others at this point in their terms.
Even among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, only 51 percent approve of the job Ryan is doing, with 75 percent of Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents disapproving.
The study also shows clearly where Trump's greatest demographic strength lies. Those who approve of his job performance are overwhelmingly white, older than 50, and likely to describe themselves as Republicans, especially conservative Republicans.
Despite low approval numbers for Ryan and Trump, Democrats have not been able to capitalize by improving their own popularity. They have a slight advantage in popularity, with 45 percent of Americans having a favorable view, versus 40 percent for Republicans.
Meanwhile, a recent Fox News poll found Sen. Bernie Sanders to be the most popular politician in the U.S. Sixty one percent of Americans view him favorably. The next most popular politician was Vice President Mike Pence, with 47 percent.
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