A new poll shows a record number of Americans can't stand the president of the United States.
According to the most recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal public opinion poll, an astounding 69 percent of Americans don't like Trump personally.
During the early 2000s, President George W. Bush enjoyed the benefit of Americans finding him likable and wanting to "have a beer" with the sober leader. That measure of "likability" has been a kind of inspiration for political leaders searching for voters based not on issues but on personality.
In past elections, favorability of a candidate or leader was key to reelection, but in 2020, that may not be an important factor.
Political analysts have warned that Trump will likely fight his lack of favorability not by being a nicer or better person, but by dragging everyone else down to his level.
Washington Post analyst Aaron Blake explained in July that the Trump campaign knows how to do this because it has already mastered it.
"Given Trump’s long-standing unpopularity, a big question has always been whether he will be able to take the eventual Democratic nominee and drag them down to his level," Blake wrote. "He showed he could do it in 2016 with Hillary Clinton, who ended the campaign as unpopular as Trump was, but it’s not clear whether he’ll be able to do it again."