Popularity of the US President remains high, a latest national poll has shown, even as Barack Obama suffered setbacks this week with two of his top Cabinet nominees withdrawing because of controversies related to non-payment of taxes.

A high sixty-five percent of Americans say they approve of the job he is doing, and 58 percent say controversies like the one surrounding Tom Daschle, his nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, are "normal" when filling government positions, the latest USA Today/Gallup Poll has said.

The poll, which was conducted over phone among 1,012 people across the country on February 4, said that most of those having less confidence in Obama are Republican identifiers.

"The president's 65 percent job approval rating in February 2-4 Gallup Poll/Daily tracking is essentially the same as it has been throughout his brief time in office," it said.

The poll finds 58 percent of Americans describing the controversies as "a normal part of the process of filling high-level government positions in any new administration," it said.

Only half that number 29 percent -- think they reflect poorly on the Obama administration, saying the administration "appears to be having more problems filling high government positions than is typical for new administrations." The remaining 12 percent have no opinion, it said.