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Obama prepares for Tuesday's address amid low approval ratings

As President Obama puts the finishing touches on his State of the Union address, new poll numbers shows he has some work to do.
President Barack Obama walks on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Jan. 15, 2014.
President Barack Obama walks on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Jan. 15, 2014.

It is the eve of President Obama’s 5th State of The Union Address and as the nation awaits to hear from him, one thing is clear -- he has his work cut out for him.

For the first time on the eve of his annual State of the Union address, new polls show more Americans have an overall negative view of President Obama’s job performance. A Washington Post/ABC poll finds 50% of American disapprove of President Obama’s performance and only 46% approve. A Gallup poll found similar results with 52% disapproving and only 41% approving.

According to the Washington Post/ABC poll, Americans need convincing on President Obama’s ability to answer the nation’s problems, with only 37% thinking he can make the right decisions for the country.

As President Obama hopes to overcome these low polling numbers after Tuesday’s address, the White House is continuing to drum up momentum for the State of the Union. On Monday they released the shortest State of the Union preview, only 6 seconds long, and throughout the week a sneak peek of the White House team prepping for the national address has taken over the @WhiteHouse Instagram account.