Republicans are more pessimistic about the country’s direction than at almost any other time during Donald Trump’s presidency, as a trio of crises — the coronavirus pandemic, an economic downturn and mass protests over police brutality— buffets his administration.

Only 46 per cent of Americans who identify as Republicans say the country is on the right track, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted last week. It is the first time that number has fallen so low since August 2017, when a rally organised by white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia led to violent clashes with counter-protesters.

As recently as early March, before the novel coronavirus forced widespread shutdowns across the country, about 70 per cent of Republicans said they were optimistic about the country’s direction.

Trump’s approval rating remains resilient at around 40 per cent, with a large majority of Republicans still approving of his overall performance.

But sustained pessimism among Trump’s supporters could portend potential weakness ahead of November’s election, when he will face Democratic former Vice-President Joe Biden, experts said.

Thirty-seven per cent of Republicans said the country is on the wrong track; 17 per cent of those said they would vote for Biden if the election were held now, while 63 per cent still plan to cast ballots for Trump.

In an election most analysts believe will come down to a handful of closely divided states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, even minor defections or a dip in turnout among the Republican ranks could imperil Trump’s chances.

“It probably should be concerning for the President, even though it’s reasonable to say he still maintains strong support among Republicans,” said Kyle Kondik, an elections analyst at the University of Virginia.

Republicans believe an economic rebound in the fall would bolster his prospects. Friday’s jobs report showed more than 2.5 million jobs were added last month.

Trump campaign spokesperson Erin Perrine said polling was notoriously wrong.

“We are five months from the election and any polling now is not a clear indicator of election results. Pollsters were very wrong in 2016 and underestimate voters’ enthusiasm for President Trump every time,” he said.

‘Things are wrong’

The pessimism among all Americans has grown since the end of February, when the pandemic began accelerating. But unlike Republicans, large majorities of Democrats and independents already felt the country was on the wrong track; fewer than 7 per cent of Democrats and 19 per cent of independents feel the country is headed in the right direction, down slightly from March, the poll showed.

Matthew Knight, a 48-year-old resident of North Carolina who supported Trump in 2016, said he has been disappointed with Trump’s response to the crises. “I was going to vote for Trump, but if things don’t get better, I may have to rethink that,” he said.