Trump More Popular Now Than Ever Before

Since entering the political arena in 2015, President Donald Trump has always been a controversial figure and has continually held a negative approval rating in the RealClearPolitics Average of Trump’s Favorability. This trend persisted throughout his first presidential campaign, his first term in office, the Biden presidency, and his second presidential campaign. Previously, his peak favorability rating was -3.5% in April 2022, a few months after the start of the Russia-Ukraine war and near the peak of inflation, with 45.8% having a favorable opinion and 49.3% unfavorable.

Following his reelection in November, his favorability turned positive for the first time ever, with 49.4% finding him favorable and 47.6% unfavorable, before dipping back into the negatives around Christmas.

Now that he has been inaugurated for the second time, his approval rating has again moved into positive territory, with 48.1% currently finding him favorable and 47.9% unfavorable.

Approval of Trump’s transition to the presidency was even higher. Every poll during the transition found net favorable opinions, with the current RealClearPolitics Average for Approval of Trump Transition at 52.8% approval and 41.3% disapproval.

This favorability is reflected even in Trump’s Cabinet picks – albeit by a narrower margin. In the latest Economist/YouGov poll, conducted Jan. 19-21, 42% of respondents approved of Trump’s Cabinet nominations, while 40% disapproved. Among specific nominees, each received net positive approval in the poll, with Marco Rubio as secretary of state garnering the highest approval at 48%-32%. Pete Hegseth for secretary of defense and Mehmet Oz as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services were more typical with 39%-37% and 38%-37%, respectively.

Approval of Day One Executive Orders

Approval of Trump’s policies implemented in the first few days of his term is mixed. On the issue of “arresting and deporting millions of illegal immigrants,” 53% of Americans support it, while 38% are opposed. In a Fox News interview, “border czar” Tom Homan said Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 308 illegal migrants on Tuesday, Trump’s first full day in office. Even funding a border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, a policy that was once among Trump’s most controversial, now has 50% support and only 39% opposition.

Another policy that has gained increasing favor is ending diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in schools and government, which has 45% approval and 40% opposition. This was also one of the administration’s first-day executive orders, with the president announcing that the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management “shall coordinate the termination of all discriminatory programs, including illegal DEI and ‘diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility’ mandates.” 

Even companies like Meta, led by Mark Zuckerberg – who previously banned Trump from Facebook – have followed suit by eliminating DEI programs, reflecting a broader cultural shift on the issue.

Some of Trump’s first-day executive orders are unpopular. On the issue of pardoning all participants in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, only 34% supported it. Even among Republicans, 23% are opposed. On Monday, Trump pardoned or commuted the sentences of all “individuals convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.” This included not only those prosecuted for entering the Capitol illegally but also those who fought police and led the protesters into the Capitol.