...
By Martha McHardy
US News Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
President Donald Trump's approval rating has soared since his inauguration last week, according to new polling.
Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment via email.
Why It Matters
Republicans have experienced a surge in approval nationwide, with Trump improving his margins in all but two states in November's presidential election against then-Vice President Kamala Harris. The GOP now holds control of the Senate and the House, positioning Trump with a chance to advance his agenda with few obstacles.
Read More on Politics
Polls have also shown Trump with higher approval ratings among groups that don't traditionally vote Republican, indicating a possible change in voter demographics that could have implications in future elections.
...
What To Know
Quinnipiac University's poll from December 16, conducted among 924 registered U.S. voters, showed Trump under water with a favorability score of -9. In that poll, 41 percent said they had an unfavorable view of the then-president elect, compared to 50 percent who said their view of him was favorable.
Since then, Trump's favorability rating has shot up significantly, climbing to +2 score in Quinnipiac's latest poll, conducted among 1,019 registered U.S. voters between January 23 and 27. In that poll, 47 percent of respondents said they had a favorable view of the president, while 45 percent said they had an unfavorable view.
Trump has also seen his approval ratings climb in a number of other polls, including those conducted by YouGov and The Economist, Echelon Insights and McLaughlin and Associates, though these were not as dramatic as the Quinnipiac flip.
Trump has seen a favorability score of -6 as recently as January 14 in YouGov and The Economist polling. In their poll conducted among 1,425 registered voters between January 12 and 14, 46 percent of respondents said they had a favorable view of the then-president elect, while 52 percent said they had an unfavorable view.
But in their poll conducted between January 26 and 28, Trump was again able to flip his favorability score to above water at +2. Fifty percent of respondents said they viewed the president favorably while 48 percent said they had an unfavorable view.
The president was also able to go from under water to above Echelon's polling from December to January.
In their poll from December 9 to 12, Trump had a favorability score of -2, with 50 percent saying they had an unfavorable view of him and 48 percent saying the opposite. In their poll conducted between January 22 and 27, Trump had ticked up to a favorability rating of +2, with 50 percent favorable and 48 percent unfavorable.
And according to polling by McLaughlin and Associates, Trump's favorability score has climbed to +3, which is 6 points higher than when he was under water at -3 on December 13.
The surge in favorability in some polls comes as Trump has seen historic highs recently according to aggregate polling FiveThirtyEight's tracker. His overall favorability number in the tracker currently stands at -0.7, which is up significantly from his -18.4 score in late January 2021 after his first term had just ended.
While a number of polls show Trump's favorability rating climbing, polling released Thursday by Gallup, found that 47 percent of respondents support Trump's term so far.
That rating is lower than all other elected presidents since 1953 and he remains the only elected president with sub-50 percent initial approval ratings.
Former President Joe Biden carried a 57 percent approval rating after his first week in office.
The climb to above water in the polls could be on the back of support for Trump's agenda on immigration. Trump made immigration a central theme of his presidential campaign and has since taken steps to rebuild a wall across the southern border and to aggressively deport illegal immigrants.
According to the Quinnipiac poll, a majority of voters (60 percent) approve of sending U.S. troops to the southern border with Mexico to enforce border security, while 36 percent disapprove. The poll also showed 44 percent of respondents back deporting all undocumented immigrants and sending them back to their home countries, while 39 percent only support deporting immigrants convicted of violent crimes, and 6 percent oppose both scenarios, with 10 percent not offering an opinion.
The president has also gained ground among groups that have traditionally voted Democrat.
A poll by AtlasIntel conducted between January 21 and 23, showed 69 percent of Black voters approve of Trump's job performance, compared to 50 percent of white voters, which could be related to support for Trump's immigration policies. According to the poll, 72 percent of Black voters see immigration as a key challenge for the U.S., ranking it higher than any other issue.
What People Are Saying
Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy said in a statement about support for President Trump's immigration policies: "The huge deployment of boots on the ground is not to a dicey, far away war theater, but to the American border. And a majority of voters are just fine with that."
Laura Smith, a presidential historian at Oxford University, previously told Newsweek: "Modern presidents normally begin their term with a so-called 'honeymoon' period, enabling them to be particularly active in their first 100 days."
She added: "...Trump has effectively convinced people to vote against their self interest, including their economic interest, and soon rhetoric will turn into reality and polls will change. I anticipate this is a transient sentiment, rather than a sea change in American politics, or even a reflection of support in his agenda. After all, as a candidate Trump has never run on clear policies, focusing more on rhetoric and character. Higher polls could reflect an appreciation of his version of strong leadership but consequences, expected and unexpected, will be forthcoming."
Andrew David, senior lecturer in social science at Boston University, previously told Newsweek: "The accepted wisdom about modern presidential politics is that, really, a president has something like 12 to 18 months to really get their agenda complete. After that, it's on to the midterms. As a lame duck upon entering office, those midterms might also see the soft start to the 2028 race and a further challenge to Trump's authority, sway and power. As with so much about Trump, this is pretty uncharted territory and a unique set of challenges for a president."
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen whether Trump's approval ratings will continue to remain above water.
Since taking office, he has signed over 100 executive orders focusing on immigration, rolling back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and environmental protections, and imposing higher tariffs on countries like China, Mexico, and Canada.
Updated 1/31/2025 6:26 p.m. ET: This article has been updated for clarity.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines