President Donald Trump remains a historically divisive figure after one month on the job, despite growing optimism about the economy and support from a cross-section of Americans who either opposed his candidacy or backed it reluctantly, according to a new poll by the NBC News and the Wall St. Journal.

The new poll confirms what other major surveys have shown: Trump starts his administration with less support than any president in the seven decades of presidential polling. Asked if they approve or disapprove of the job Trump is doing, 44% approve, 48% disapprove. No previous president has begun his tenure with a net negative job approval.

Trump has held onto the support of his ardent backers. At the other end of the spectrum, he gets almost no approval from Democrats. In the middle, the poll found, are many Americans -- just over a third of those polled -- who either voted for Trump with reservations, voted for a third party candidate or did not vote at all in 2016.

Just over half of that group gives Trump positive marks, the poll found. Their support is enough, currently, to keep Trump's standing from collapsing, and holding them is likely key to his future.

Just under one third of Americans say they like Trump and approve of his policies, the poll found. Another one in six approve of most of his policies even though they dislike him. Well over half, 59%, said they did not like him personally.

On a separate question, only 43% of those surveyed have a positive view of Trump -- up from the low points of the campaign, but still far below the standing of most new presidents.

By contrast, 86% agreed with one of the central lines of Trump's inaugural speech, that government insiders had "reaped the rewards of government, while the people have borne the cost."

On other issues, the public is more closely divided. The public splits evenly, for example, on Trump's proposed temporary ban on travel from seven mostly Muslim countries.

Just over half of those surveyed, 52%, said that the problems Trump has encountered in his first month were “unique to this administration and suggest real problems"; 43% said they were "growing pains" similar to those other administrations have had.

And by 51%-41%, the public thinks the press has been too hard on the new administration.

The NBC/WSJ poll, run by a bipartisan team of two polling firms, was taken by phone, using cell phones and landlines, Feb. 18-22 among 1,000 American adults. 

It has a margin of error for the full sample of 3.1 percentage points in either direction.

Source: MENA