WASHINGTON, D.C. — Less than one month into his second term in office, President Donald Trump’s job approval rating is at 45%, similar to his first post-inauguration reading of 47% in January.
Trump’s ratings on several issues that his administration has targeted in the first weeks of his presidency are similar to his overall rating, including on immigration (46%), foreign affairs (44%), foreign trade (42%) and the economy (42%). Meanwhile, slightly fewer Americans, 40% each, approve of the president’s handling of the situations in Ukraine and in the Middle East between the Israelis and Palestinians, as fewer offer opinions of his performance on these two issues.
The latest ratings are from a Feb. 3-16 Gallup poll, conducted as Trump continued to sign an unprecedented number of executive orders, memoranda and proclamations addressing a wide array of policy areas, including the six covered in the survey.
Republicans Register High Approval of Trump
Ninety-three percent of Republicans, 37% of independents and 4% of Democrats approve of Trump’s job performance overall. Republicans also broadly approve of the president’s handling of immigration (92%), foreign affairs (90%), the economy (90%) and foreign trade (89%). Another 80% of Republicans each approve of Trump’s handling of the situations in the Middle East and Ukraine.
At the same time, Democrats register single-digit approval ratings of Trump on all six issues measured. Aside from independents’ 40% rating for the president’s performance on immigration, their ratings range from 31% on the economy to 37% on foreign affairs.
The 89-percentage-point partisan gap in Trump’s overall job approval rating is among the highest Gallup has measured for any president. The only larger gaps were 90 and 92 points, also for Trump, both in the fall of 2020 as he sought reelection to a second term. The next highest partisan gap in approval was 88 points, for Joe Biden, in October 2021.
Trump’s Rating Better Than First Term, Worse Than All Presidents Since 1953
Trump’s job approval rating is 15 points below the historical average for all other elected presidents in mid-February since 1953, but it is five points higher than the February reading in his first term. Bill Clinton has the next lowest mid-February rating for a newly inaugurated president — which, at 51%, is six points higher than where Trump is now. John Kennedy (72%) and Jimmy Carter (71%) were the highest rated at this point in their presidencies.
Before Trump’s first term, the gap in partisans’ approval of presidents in their first February in office ranged from 21 to 60 points. In 2017, that gap rose to 79 points for Trump, increased further to 84 points in 2021 for Biden and is now a record-high 89 points for Trump.
Trump’s current ratings on foreign affairs and the economy are also historically low compared with early-term ratings for other recent presidents.
His latest 44% approval rating on foreign affairs, though better than the 38% he earned at the same point in his first term, is lower than those of Biden (56%), Barack Obama (54%) and Clinton (53%) but similar to George W. Bush (46%).
Republicans (+8 points) and independents (+7 points) are more likely to approve of Trump’s handling of foreign affairs now than in 2017, while Democrats’ ratings of him on the issue are essentially unchanged.
Trump’s approval rating on the economy now, 42%, is lower than his 48% reading in February 2017, as well as the first-term February ratings for Biden (54%), Obama (59%) and Bush (53%) on the issue. Clinton’s 45% economic rating in February 1993, however, was similar to Trump’s latest. While nine in 10 Republicans again approve of Trump’s handling of the economy, independents’ approval is now 13 points lower, at 31%, and Democrats’ is eight points lower, at 5%.
Republicans Drive Increase in Congressional Job Approval Rating
Americans’ approval of Congress has jumped 12 points since early January, to 29%, which is the highest rating since May 2021. Until now, congressional job approval had not risen above 20% in just over two years.
The latest jump in Americans’ rating of Congress is mostly owed to a 42-point surge among Republicans, whose improved views are likely the result of their party assuming control of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Senate and the presidency. Currently, 53% of Republicans approve of the job Congress is doing, along with 26% of independents (up nine points) and 5% of Democrats (down 18 points).
The last time Republican approval of Congress was higher than now was in August 2005, when Republicans also had control of both chambers and 57% approved of the body. Republicans also had a unified government from 2017 to 2019, and today’s rating of Congress among Republicans is similar to the highest reading during that time — 50% in February 2017. Republicans’ approval for that Congress ultimately averaged 29%.
When Democrats last held the presidency, House and Senate — from 2021 to 2023 — their approval of Congress was as high as 61% in 2021 and averaged 40% for that session. Likewise, from 2009 to 2011, with Democratic control of both chambers and the presidency, a high of 63% of Democrats approved of Congress in May 2009. Congressional approval also averaged 40% among Democrats for that session.
Each party’s record-high approval rating of Congress was recorded in 2001 in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the U.S., when Americans rallied around their government and institutions. About a month after the attacks, Republicans’ congressional approval was 89%, Democrats’ was 82% and independents’ was 81%.
Bottom Line
Republicans’ widespread approval of Trump’s overall job performance and his handling of immigration, foreign affairs, foreign trade, the economy, and the situations in Ukraine and the Middle East is not enough to earn him majority-level ratings among all Americans. This is because independents’ approval of the president is weak, and Democrats’ is nearly nonexistent.
Trump’s first two job approval ratings have both been below 50% due to relatively low support among independents, similar to his first term but lower than what Biden enjoyed early in his term. Like Trump, Biden registered exceedingly high approval from his party but very low approval from the opposition.
Republicans are also pushing overall approval of Congress to its highest point in more than two years, as they seek to enact Trump’s policy agenda. However, history has shown that partisans’ approval tends to fade somewhat after an initial honeymoon period.
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Explore President Trump’s approval ratings and compare them with those of past presidents in the Gallup Presidential Job Approval Center.
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