Donald Trump's Second Term Begins with Historically Low Approval Ratings

Donald Trump's Second Term Begins with Historically Low Approval Ratings

Donald Trump's second term as president of the United States has begun with historically low approval ratings, according to a new poll by Gallup.

Trump's initial job approval rating for his second term is 47%, similar to the 45% rating he received during his first term. This places him below all other elected presidents since 1953. He remains the only elected president with sub-50% initial approval ratings, and his latest disapproval rating (48%) is three percentage points higher than in 2017.

In contrast, John F. Kennedy remains the most popular modern president at the start of his term, with a 72% approval rating and just 6% disapproval in 1961. Dwight Eisenhower (1953) and Barack Obama (2009) enjoyed the next-highest approval ratings, at 68%. Jimmy Carter, who died in 2023, scored 66% approval in February 1977.

Most presidents experience a "honeymoon period" with strong job approval ratings in the initial months of their presidencies, which then fade over time. However, this trend does not apply to Trump.

Trump's second term has begun with a flurry of executive orders, claiming a strong mandate for radical policies including mass deportations of undocumented immigrants and sweeping attacks on federal government agencies and employees. Democrats accuse him of breaking the law with such moves and have criticized his controversial cabinet picks.

Gallup reported that Americans are divided in their views of Trump's pace in addressing the major problems facing the country today. Approval and disapproval for Trump are sharply split on partisan lines. Other polling has shown negative results for many of Trump's policies and orders, though policies including reducing the size of the federal government enjoy majority support.

Trump's approval rating is not much lower than those for Ronald Reagan and George HW Bush at the starts of their presidencies. However, Americans are much more likely to disapprove of Trump's performance than they were of Reagan and Bush.

Four years ago, Joe Biden had a 57% approval rating and 37% disapproval rating, nine and 11 points better than Trump now.

Trump continues to repeat the lie that his loss to Biden in 2020 was the result of electoral fraud, a lie that fueled the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. On his first day back in office, he pardoned or commuted the sentences of more than 1,500 people convicted in relation to the riot.

According to Gallup, Trump is the only modern president never to have received an approval rating of 50% or higher.