Donald Trump‘s new presidential approval ratings have now been published following two months of chaos since his Jan. 2025 inauguration. This key metric shines a light on how the president is faring in the eyes of an increasingly anxious public in the wake of tariff threats.
These polls were taken shortly after Trump’s long address to Congress, in which he doubled down on Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), self-congratulated his administration on tariff orders that he would later delay, and promised to continue to protect the border from illegal immigration. The approval ratings also reflect Trump’s divisive and bold moves — such as saying he will dismantle the Department of Education, and threatening the sovereignty of other nations.
Trump’s current approval ratings
Below are the latest polls from several different sources, to give us the most accurate reading of Trump’s favorability. The data was collected in early March, with The Economist’s being the latest (March 6).
- Gallup: 46%
- Reuters/Ipsos: 44%
- Project538: 47.6%
- The Economist 46%
The figures may cast light on Trump’s performance, but for context, his first term’s average was 41%. His lowest percentage to date was 34% during the first Trump administration, and 49% was the highest.
ABC News’ Project 538 polls were also taken for Vice President JD Vance, who in previous weeks shot himself in the foot with an embarrassingly hostile display at the White House during a tense meeting with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He came out worse than Trump, with a lower approval rating of 40.8%.
Why are approval ratings important?
Approval ratings give an administration insight into how they are perceived by voters. While the numbers aren’t black and white and don’t necessarily represent an incoming downfall for presidents with a percentage in the 40s, they can help track popularity.
In any democratic society where candidates are voted in via election, polls such as these can assist campaigns and current administrations in correcting course should the figures fall to an alarming level. On the opposite side, high approval ratings are a good look in terms of media coverage, implying that the person who earned them is making voters happy and delivering on promises.
The history of approval ratings
U.S. presidential approval ratings were first introduced and conducted by George Gallup, who scholars believe started doing them in the late 1930s (1937 is the guesstimate). The basic formula conceived was to take a sample of the population and have them participate in an opinion poll by asking them if they approve or disapprove of a politician.
Surveys such as this aren’t always foolproof, however. So, like anything, we have to apply critical thinking when looking at the results. For example, sample size and the demographics of participants can affect the results greatly. One way to combat inaccurate statistics is aggregation, which means taking the independent results from several sources and combining them by some means.
As explained by the American Association for Public Opinion Research, “Other aggregators use regression-based analyses — a method for adjusting data to account for unusual results (‘outliers’). Other aggregators combine additional data like historical election results or economic data with current polling data through statistical methods – these are often called modelers.”
What does Trump’s number mean?
For added context, Citizen Times provided the following comparison from other presidencies.
- Joe Biden: 40%
- Donald Trump (first term): 34%
- Barack Obama: 59%
- George W. Bush: 34%
- Bill Clinton: 66%
- George H.W. Bush: 56%
- Ronald Reagan: 63%
- Jimmy Carter: 34%
- Gerald Ford: 53%
- Richard Nixon: 24%
Trump’s result isn’t drastically bad or good when compared to other first-term approval ratings, but Americans are still split almost right down the middle when it comes to his brash, disruptive style of leadership. He is the most divisive president of his era, and the approval rating reflects it. Future polls during Trump’s second term will show us whether there is a downward or upward trend.
Published: Mar 12, 2025 06:41 am