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Negative Views of Trump, Clinton Hit Three-Decade High Among Presidential Nominees

Donald Trump / AP
June 15, 2016

Negative views of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have reached the highest levels for any presidential nominees for a major party in more than three decades.

Seven in 10 Americans hold unfavorable views of Trump, marking an all-time high for the presumptive Republican nominee since the 2016 election began, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll released Wednesday.

Less than one in three—29 percent—said they view Trump favorably, marking a six-point drop from the 37 percent who said the same in May.

A majority of Americans also view Clinton negatively, with 55 percent holding unfavorable opinions and 43 percent favorable.

Clinton’s current unfavorable rating is the highest it has been since the Post-ABC poll first asked voters their opinions of her in 1992 before she had become first lady.

Unfavorable views toward both Clinton and Trump are the highest of any presidential nominee of a major party since the inception of the poll in 1984.

Trump has been criticized for making derogatory comments about woman and promoting discrimination against Latinos and Muslims throughout his campaign.

Former Republican nominee Mitt Romney reflected those sentiments during an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer last week, claiming that a Trump presidency would legitimize misogyny and spur "trickle-down racism."

The poll found a steep divide between genders and ethnicities in views on Trump.

Roughly nine in 10 Hispanics and nine in 10 nonwhites hold unfavorable views of Trump. Only 11 percent in the Hispanic community responded favorably.

Women also hold overwhelmingly negative views of the GOP candidate with nearly eight in ten—77 percent—expressing unfavorable opinions. Unfavorable views among men were slightly lower, with 62 percent responding unfavorably.

The Post-ABC poll surveyed 1,000 adults through landlines and cellphones June 8-12. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.