New poll finds dipping approval, honesty ratings for Trump

— -- A public opinion poll released by Quinnipiac University on Wednesday reported decreasing levels of approval for President Donald Trump in the midst of his battle over the new health care bill, continued insistence he was surveilled and a probe into Russian interference during the presidential election.

Trump's approval rating fell slightly to 37 percent in the poll, compared to 41 percent just over two weeks ago when Quinnipiac released its March 7 results. Respondents disapprove of the president at a 56 percent rate in the Quinnipiac numbers, up slightly from 52 percent on March 7. The poll's margin of error is +/- 3 percent among registered voters.

Members of Trump's own political party voiced increasing levels of displeasure with his performance. Among Republicans, Trump's approval rating dropped 10 points from 91 to 81 percent and levels of disapproval almost tripled from 5 percent to 14 percent. Democratic disapproval of Trump's performance sits at 90 percent, with just 6 percent of party members reporting approval.

Perception of Trump's honesty and leadership skills were among the personal qualities gauged by the poll. Of those answering, 35 percent said Trump was honest, down slightly from 39 percent earlier in the month and a high of 42 percent on February 7.

Those who responded that the president is a good leader is down to 40 percent -- the same amount who said he "cares about average Americans -- from 47 percent two weeks ago and a high of 56 percent just after the election on November 22.

One of Trump's lowest numbers came in the number of poll respondents who said he was "level-headed:" 30 percent.

The president performed better with questions about strength (66 percent of those polled said he was a strong person) and intelligence (59 percent said that he possessed the quality.)

As for one of the White House's most controversial stances, 19 percent of those polled believe that "President Obama wiretapped Trump Tower during the 2016 presidential election," compared to 70 percent who do not believe the claim. Republicans are virtually even by a 41-39 margin.

Congress' approval rating sits lower than Trump's with House Republicans at 29 percent and House Democrats at 30 percent.

Respondents were split on Trump's battle with the media -- each received support at a 34 percent level when those polled were asked, separately, if each can be trusted "to do what is right almost all of the time or most of the time.”