ANDY BARR

8/17/10 8:40 AM EDT Updated: 8/17/10 8:51 AM EDT

President Barack Obama's approval rating has dipped to a new low in the latest Gallup poll.

Obama's 44 percent average approval in Gallup's daily tracking polls last week marks the weakest level of support he has registered since taking office.

His weekly average had been holding steady at 45 percent approval in recent weeks. 

Additionally, the share of Americans who disapprove of the president's job performance reached 50 percent for the first time over the three-day stretch of Aug. 13-15. 

The drop can likely be attributed to the loss of independents. Obama's approval rating among independents now stands at 39 percent, down 4 points from June. Obama began his presidency with the support 74 percent of independents. 

Eighty percent of Democrats still approve of the president's job performance, down only 2 percent from June. 

Obama?s numbers among Republicans have also remained relatively constant as only 12 percent approve of his performance, the same level from this April. 

The tracking surveys conducted August 9-15 were based on telephone surveys with 3,672 adults nationwide. The margin of error is plus or minus 2 percentage points.

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