US President Donald Trump departs on travel to the Camp David presidential retreat from the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, D.C., May 1, 2020. (Photo by Reuters)

US President Donald Trump�s approval rating has dropped to 41 percent as the number of deaths caused by the coronavirus crisis is rising in the country, a poll shows.

According to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Tuesday, only 41 percent of US citizens are approving Trump�s performance over the past years, 4 points down from a similar poll in mid-April.

The poll also shows that 46 percent of registered voters would back Biden in the November presidential election, while 38 percent would vote for Trump.

When it comes to health policies, the poll reveals that the number of those who are critical of Trump�s performance during the coronavirus pandemic is 13 percentage points more than those who approve his actions.

The administration of Donald Trump has been under unprecedented pressure over the past weeks because of downplaying the threat of the covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, that has killed 83,449 people so far in the US, the highest death toll of any country.

Trump, however, has repeatedly evaded the responsibility of the crisis and blamed China for the spread of the virus. The Republican president has accused Beijing of keeping the world in the dark during the initial outbreak. He has also claimed that China will do anything they can to make him lose in the November election.

Trump�s attack on China is in line with a leaked GOP memo, which urged Republican presidential candidates to address the coronavirus crisis by aggressively attacking China. The 57-page memo stresses three lines of attack; that China triggered the pandemic by covering it up, that Democrats are soft on China, and that Republicans will push for sanctions on China.

In addition to sanctions, the Trump administration is reportedly devising a long-term plan to punish China on multiple fronts, including the possibility of canceling US debt obligations and drawing up harsher trade policies. Trump and his aides are also encouraging US allies to join the pressure campaign against Beijing.

SOURCE: PRESS TV