President Donald Trump’s approval ratings at the outset of his second term are tracking closely with those of former President Barack Obama at the same point in his presidency. Recent polling suggests that Trump is enjoying stronger public support now than he did at the end of his first term, with at least three newly released surveys indicating an uptick in his approval ratings.
Moreover, Trump’s policies appear to be even more popular than he is personally, suggesting potential for further growth in his overall approval numbers. This pattern mirrors a similar trend seen during Obama’s second term, where policy approval in certain areas at times outpaced personal favorability.
And a new element of those polls is that his policies are even more popular, suggesting that he can increase his personal approval rating above 50%. “His policies are more popular than he is,” Mark Mitchell of Rasmussen Reports said. “I think he’s got room to grow it,” added Mark Penn, chief of the Harvard Caps-Harris Poll.
Consistent with earlier surveys, a new Big Data Poll shows President Trump holding a 48% approval rating and a 51% favorability rating, signaling that voters continue to give him leeway as he pushes forward with his economic and immigration priorities. The results suggest Trump is settling into a steady rhythm—down slightly from the 55% approval he received at the outset of his second term, but well-positioned for a potential boost if he delivers key policy wins, starting with the new trade agreement with the United Kingdom.
“If these economic concerns turn out to be unjustified, we should all expect the president’s numbers to rebound, perhaps sharply,” poll director Rich Baris said in releasing his poll. While some media polls have occasionally shown lower approval ratings for President Trump, Rasmussen Reports—which conducts daily tracking surveys—has shown more consistent results. In a recent comparison, Rasmussen noted that Trump’s approval ratings are closely mirroring those of President Barack Obama at the same point in his second term. The analysis also suggested that Trump could potentially surpass Obama’s ratings, depending on the success of his upcoming policy initiatives.
“I think he’s going to maybe trace a little higher than that,” Mitchell said. Penn stated that his data on Trump and the president’s key issues suggests that Trump should continue to improve. During an appearance on Maria Bartiromo’s Fox Business show, “Mornings with Maria,” this week, he noted that the public approves of Trump’s policy initiatives much more than they approve of him personally.
“If I say, ‘Do you approve with what the president is doing on immigration,’ 51% say ‘Yes.’ But when I say, ‘Do you favor or oppose some of the policies that he’s implementing,’ close to 70% say ‘Yes,’” Penn explained. “So when his name is in there, I get a more partisan response. To me, that indicates that if he’s successful with his policies, he can chip away at that partisanship and get from 50 to 55, or 60, which is where you want to get to,” he added.
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