There’s A Huge Gap Between How Women & Men View Trump In This New Poll

Conducted in the final days of the longest government shutdown in history, a poll from ABC News/Washington Post found a massive gap in women and men's approval of Donald Trump's presidency. The gender gap is 22 points: Only 27 percent of women approve of Trump's job performance, compared to 49 percent of men.

The huge gap between women's and men's feelings on Trump's presidency extend to his favorability rating as a person. The ABC News/Washington Post poll found that while 42 percent of men rate Trump favorably as a person, only 24 percent of women do the same.

The numbers are similar when asked about their confidence in Trump's ability to make "the right decisions for the country's future": Forty-three percent of men have confidence in Trump's decision-making, compared to only 28 percent of women. Furthermore, 48 percent rated Trump as a "good political dealmaker" compared to 25 percent of women who think the same.

Not unsurprisingly, the gender gap follows along party lines. The poll found that 21 percent of Democratic men view Trump favorably, but only 5 percent of Democratic women view the same. Among independents, there's a 16 point gap in that same rating, according to the poll.

When asked about specific attributes of Trump, the gap persisted. Fifty-seven percent of men rated Trump as a "strong leader" compared to 39 percent of women who did. When it came to having the "right personality and temperament it takes to serve effectively as president" 48 percent of men agreed while only 29 percent of women concurred.

As the Special Counsel's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election nears its second anniversary (and with another former Trump associate indicted), the poll also asked about Trump's honesty and trustworthiness. Among men, 46 percent rated the president at "honest and trustworthy." However, only 26 percent of women said the same of Trump. (However, another Washington Post/ABC News poll found that Americans have mixed feelings on the fairness of the Special Counsel investigation being headed by former FBI director Robert Mueller.)

A majority of men in the poll said Trump has brought needed change (52 percent) compared to 31 percent of women who felt the same. However, the poll also found that only 41 percent of men surveyed agreed that Trump understood their problems, while 27 percent of women said Trump understood their problems.

This trend — the gap between how women and men view Trump's presidency — extended to female veterans as well. In late December, The Associated Press's poll of more than 115,000 midterm voters (including over 4,000 service members and veterans) found that 58 percent of female veterans disapproved of the president compared to 58 percent of male veterans who approved of Trump. Women are the fastest growing group within the military, according to The Associated Press.

While the gap between how men and women view Trump's presidency persisted in polls, Trump's overall approval rating also was low. In the most recent update of the Gallup Presidential Job Approval Poll on Jan. 10, only 37 percent of Americans approve of Trump's presidency while his disapproval rating is at 59 percent.