Both presumptive US presidential nominees Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are currently among the worst-rated presidential candidates of the last 70 years, according to new poll.

Trump has a 42 percent “highly unfavorable” score, while Clinton is at 33 percent, according to Gallup's long-term "scalometer" trend.

“Trump's image in 2016 is worse than Barry Goldwater's was in 1964, giving Trump -- at least for the moment -- the distinction of having the highest negative scores on Gallup's scalometer of any presidential candidate rated since 1956,” Gallup said.

“But that is only half the equation. Clinton's ratings are not much better than Trump's and are nowhere near as high as those of Goldwater's opponent in 1964,” it added.

Gallup found that Americans' initial reactions to Clinton and Trump are largely negative.

When Americans are asked what comes to mind when they think of Clinton, 27 percent say they don't trust her, 13 percent say they don't like her and 8 percent say she is a “criminal” or “corrupt.”

The latest responses reflect that many Americans continue to see Clinton as dishonest and untrustworthy and dislike her in general.

Clinton is currently under investigation by the FBI for using a private email server installed at her home in New York state to conduct official US State Department business during her time as secretary of state.

Trump also evokes a variety of negative reactions about his personality. Sixteen percent say they dislike him, while 12 percent describe him as an "idiot" or a "joke" and 10 percent as a "racist" or a "bigot."

Eight percent view him as "reckless" or "dangerous" and 7 percent as someone who speaks without thinking.

Americans' persistently negative views about the presumptive nominees for president raise serious questions about whether either candidate can unify the country after the presidential election in November.

By Press TV