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"Most Constitutional scholars agree that the President cannot be arrested. (I don’t see it myself, but I am not even a lawyer.)"

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"Donald Trump has been obsessed with race for the entire time he has been a public figure."

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Opinion | Donald Trump’s Racism: The Definitive List, Updated (Published 2018)

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The media uses euphemisms. Here’s the truth: President Trump is a racist.

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"Nearly 10 months later, the negative polls — the president’s ‘'fake news' charge notwithstanding — have kept coming"

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On Feb. 6, barely two weeks into his presidency, Donald Trump Donald John Trump House Democrat slams Donald Trump Jr. for 'serious case of amnesia' after testimony Skier Lindsey Vonn: I don't want to represent Trump at Olympics Poll: 4 in 10 Republicans think senior Trump advisers had improper dealings with Russia MORE tweeted, "Any negative polls are fake news, just like the CNN, ABC, NBC polls in the election."

Nearly 10 months later, the negative polls - the president's ''fake news" charge notwithstanding - have kept coming. The most recent, the Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll, shows Trump at a new low of 41 percent. Most other reputable polls have his job approval rating several points lower.

Barring a dramatic event like 9/11, which temporarily sent President George W. Bush's approval rating soaring from 50 percent to 90 percent, nearly every president's standing with the public declines as the first year unfolds.

When expectations raised during the campaign cannot all be met - some because they are excessive and others because they are contradictory - people become disappointed.

As a former Gerald Ford aide lamented, "Each [presidential decision] is bound to hurt somebody. ... He will satisfy one group but anger three others." Consequently, presidents experience what political scientists Paul Brace and Barbara Hinckley have labeled a "decay curve," a decline in public approval that normally begins about halfway through the first year of the term and lasts well into the third year.

But historically that decline has begun only after a six-month or longer "honeymoon" with the public, which new presidents often are able to translate into major legislative victories on Capitol Hill.

In the history of polling from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama Patagonia files suit against Trump cuts to Utah monuments Former Dem Tenn. gov to launch Senate bid: report Eighth Franken accuser comes forward as Dems call for resignation MORE , every president's initial approval ratings exceeded his share of the popular vote in the election that brought him to power. The increase represented a surge of goodwill toward the new president even among those who wished that his opponent had been elected.

Trump's brutalistic campaign assured that he would not have a honeymoon at all. His 46 percent level of support last November did not increase at all. Trump's Gallup approval rating the week after his inauguration was 45 percent, the lowest ever recorded for a new president.

Monthly YouGov/Economist surveys showed no measurable increase from Election Day onward in the public's assessment of Trump's "qualifications to be president," "temperament to be the president," or "honesty and trustworthiness."

Pressure from the Democratic grass roots (Trump's approval rating among Democrats consistently has been less than 10 percent) further undermined any claim he might have made to being a unifying figure. As late as mid-September, Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton Grassley blasts Democrats over unwillingness to probe Clinton GOP lawmakers cite new allegations of political bias in FBI Top intel Dem: Trump Jr. refused to answer questions about Trump Tower discussions with father MORE actually said she would not "rule it out" when asked if she would question "the legitimacy of this election if we learn that Russian interference is even deeper than we know now."

But nothing degraded Trump's ability to bring the country together more than his own words and actions as president, which have been designed to unify his base of supporters in opposition to his critics.

Trump's approval rating at the six-month mark was 39 percent, the lowest of any newly elected president in the history of opinion polling, and his disapproval rating was 55 percent, the highest. They have remained within a point or two of those levels ever since, even as public regard for his handling of specific matters such as terrorism and health care has continued to decline. The average net approval rating - that is, the percent approving minus the percent disapproving - for the nine elected presidents from Eisenhower to Obama was +36 percent after six months. Trump's was -16 percent.

Trump's low standing with the American people is even more exceptional in light of the favorable economic conditions that have prevailed during his first year. Drawing on four decades of data, political analyst Harry Entman calculated that, based on the strength of the economy, Trump's approval rating should be at least 10 points higher than it actually has been.

To be sure, as 2017 has worn on, most self-identified Republican voters have remained steadfast in their support - about 80 percent in all polls. But the number of people who professed to being Republicans has declined. At the start of the Trump presidency, 31 percent of voters surveyed in the Gallup poll identified with the GOP. By October, only 24 percent did.

A president's job approval rating has no constitutional meaning, of course. What does have meaning is the effect the president's standing has on voting in the first midterm election. Unless Trump is somehow able to turn things around, there's a very good chance the Republicans will lose one or both houses of Congress to the Democrats next year.
Michael Nelson teaches political science at Rhodes College and is a senior fellow at the University of Virginia's Miller Center. In January the University of Virginia Press will publish his latest book, "Trump's First Year."

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Americans think Trump is really bad at being president

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On Feb. 6, barely two weeks into his presidency, Donald Trump Donald John Trump House Democrat slams Donald Trump Jr. for 'serious case of amnesia' after testimony Skier Lindsey Vonn: I don't want to represent Trump at Olympics Poll: 4 in 10 Republicans think senior Trump advisers had improper dealings with Russia MORE tweeted, "Any negative polls are fake news, just like the CNN, ABC, NBC polls in the election."

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How are we supposed to get rid of Donald Trump?

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How are we supposed to get rid of Donald Trump?

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"On Wednesday, six House Democrats stood up and introduced articles of impeachment begging lawmakers to fire Donald Trump"

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It's not easy getting rid of a president - even if the guy is universally loathed. Take Donald Trump, for example. In just a matter of months, the wannabe autocrat has already become the most unpopular president in American history - and that's not some liberal fairy-tale. Even conservative pollsters say it's a bonafide fact. He's fatally divided his own party, tried and failed to deliver on every key campaign promise and spent about $80m travelling to and from his favourite golf courses.

So, why are we still letting this fussy, orange megalomaniac live rent-free in the White House? Well, it's not for lack of trying.

On Wednesday, six House Democrats stood up and introduced articles of impeachment begging lawmakers to fire Donald Trump. And at first glance, it looked like that was the moment rhyme and reason had been desperately praying for. But the truth is, even the guys trying to impeach Trump knew it was a waste of time.

You see, congressional procedure is incredibly slow and self-serving. In order to get rid of America's commander-in-chief, those articles would first need to be approved by a House Judiciary Committee. After that, a House majority of at least 218 congressmen and women would need to vote in favour of the impeachment.

Next, the President would then be forced to defend himself in a trial by Senate - where two-thirds of the 100-strong body would then need to give Donald the heave-ho.

Bearing in mind only one in three Americans actually like Trump, you'd think that whole process would just be some sort of technicality. But when is anything ever that simple? Both congressional bodies are totally controlled by the GOP - and none of the smart Republicans can actually get a word in just now for all the conservative yes-men shouting them down with Trump's isolationist dribble.

So, until the Democrats step up to bat in next year's midterm elections, we aren't going to find any heroes in congress. We're totally alone in the dark.

Thank god America's got plenty of everyday heroes willing to light the way. We're seeing little flickers all over - and in strange places, too.

Earlier this week, foul-mouthed card game and 20-something party staple Cards Against Humanity declared it'd bought a stretch of vacant land along the US-Mexican border and retained a law firm specialising in eminent domain. Why? Just so the company could try to slow down Trump's "beautiful" and bigoted border wall.

A few days before that, a government contractor flipped Trump's motorcade the bird knowing she'd probably lose her job over it. Coincidentally, she did - but a crowdfunding campaign has already raised over $100,000 as a collective thank you for the symbolic gesture.

And we can't forget that legendary Twitter customer service rep who decided to celebrate their last day of work by deleting Donald Trump's Twitter account - effectively cutting our social media-obsessed leader off from the entire planet for 11 minutes of wonderful, golden, silence.

In isolation, these little stories don't look like much. They're funny headlines. They're low-hanging fruit for left-wing, clickbait listacles. They're loony liberal attempts to derail democracy.

But stacked up alongside one another, these trivial acts of civil disobedience join at the seams to become something far more powerful.

Okay, so flipping off the President won't convince 67 Senators to vote for his impeachment. Buying an acre of remote desert won't bully the guy into signing a resignation letter.

But you know what - each of these deeds serve as a potent reminder that Americans bow to no one. They remind us that Donald Trump is just one, little fish desperately darting around our colossal pond - and it's our civic duty to stand up to his vitriolic grandstanding in any and every way we can. These little acts of defiance inspire others, hinder regression and connect at the seams to form one, formidable wave of political dissent.

So, if you want to see Donald Trump out of the White House, get up and do something about it. Literally anything. Donate to Planned Parenthood, get involved with a political party or write to your Senator. Report social media trolls, practice empathy, take a knee during the national anthem, slap a bumper sticker on your car - it all adds up. It all becomes a part of that wave.

And it's only a matter of time before that wave comes crashing through Washington and creates the sweeping changes our country needs.

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This is how we will actually get rid of Donald Trump - and it has nothing to do with Democrats filing impeachment proceedings

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It's not easy getting rid of a president - even if the guy is universally loathed. Take Donald Trump, for example. In just a matter of months, the wannabe autocrat has already become the most unpopular president in American history - and that's not some liberal fairy-tale.

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Can Donald Trump stop deporting people and being a racist person

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Can Donald Trump stop deporting people and being a racist person

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"Donald Trump has been obsessed with race for the entire time he has been a public figure."`

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Opinion | Donald Trump’s Racism: The Definitive List, Updated (Published 2018)

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The media uses euphemisms. Here’s the truth: President Trump is a racist.

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Donald Trump has been accused of many rapings so why is he the president  shouldn't he be in jail

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Donald Trump has been accused of many rapings so why is he the president  shouldn't he be in jail

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"Sanders recently clarified in a White House press briefing, is that the 20 women accusing him of assault and harassment are lying."

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growing list of powerful men have faced serious consequences for sexual misconduct allegations but the most powerful one of all has faced none. Instead Donald Trump's official position, as his spokeswoman Sarah Sanders recently clarified in a White House press briefing, is that the 20 women accusing him of assault and harassment are lying. Trump has also suggested some were not attractive enough for him to want to sexually assault. As the conversation around sexual conduct continues to evolve, and new abusers are revealed, here are the cases against the president.

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The sexual misconduct allegations against Donald Trump - the full list

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A list of the accusations made against Donald Trump, all of which he has denied