What is Trump's approval rating? Address to cover year's successes
- President Donald Trump's approval rating is net negative, among the lowest in modern presidential history.
- A recent NBC News poll shows a drop in enthusiasm for Trump among his MAGA base and Republicans at large.
- A Reuters/Ipsos poll found Trump's approval on handling the economy has hit a term low of 33%.
President Donald Trump is expected to tout his accomplishments at a live address on Dec. 17, but what do Americans think of his first year in office?
Trump announced his 9 p.m. ET address on Truth Social, saying, "It has been a great year for our Country, and THE BEST IS YET TO COME!"
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the address will cover his successes since he took office at the beginning of the year.
"He's going to talk a lot about the accomplishments over the past 11 months, all that he's done to bring our country back to greatness, and all he continues to plan to do to continue delivering for the American people over the next three years," Leavitt told reporters on Dec. 16.
What is Trump's approval rating? See the latest polls:
What is Trump's average approval rating?
Averages based on RealClearPolitics and New York Times aggregators show Trump's approval rating is net negative, but appears to have rebounded slightly and begun stabilizing after a sharp drop last month.
As of Jan. 27, 50.5% approved, giving Trump a net positive rating until March 13, when it flipped to net negative with 47.8% approval, compared to 48.5% disapproval, RealClearPolitics graphics show. The approval rating reached a low on April 29 at 45.1% approval, which fell around Trump's 100-day mark. It reached a new low of 42.3% on Nov. 14, as the controversy on Jeffrey Epstein's emails heated up following the end of the government shutdown. The following week, his disapproval also ticked up to a term high of 55.6% on Nov. 21. As of Dec. 17, RealClearPolitics found 43.6% approve and 53.3% disapprove.
The New York Times aggregator showed Trump's approval fell from 52% approval in January to 44% approval in April, and then mostly held steady for months. According to the Times, Trump's term low is 41% approval, which he first reached on Nov. 12. His disapproval also notched up to 56% on Nov. 19, a high for this term per the aggregator. As of Dec. 17, 43% approve and 54% disapprove, per the Times.
How does President Donald Trump's approval rating compare to past presidents?
In a Gallup poll conducted from Nov. 3-25, 36% approved of Trump's job performance.
A historical analysis by Gallup shows Trump's approval ratings in November of his first years in office − both as the 45th and 47th presidents − are lower than any other modern president at the same time in their administrations. Here is how his November approval compares to other presidents in November of their first year of their terms, according to Gallup:
- Joe Biden (November 2021) - 42% approve
- Trump (November 2017) - 37% approve
- Barack Obama (November 2009) - 51% approve
- George W. Bush (November 2001) - 87% approve
- Bill Clinton (November 1993) - 49% approve
- George H.W. Bush (November 1989) - 70% approve
- Ronald Reagan (November 1981) - 52% approve
NBC News: Trump approval dropping among MAGA
In the latest NBC News Decision Desk poll, enthusiasm for the president among Republicans and those who identify as members of the MAGA movement has dropped since April.
Overall approval of the president has also dropped in that time frame. The latest poll, released Dec. 14, places Trump’s approval rating at 42% and disapproval at 58%. It marks a 3-point drop over the course of four approval rating polls from NBC News since April, the first time the survey was conducted.
The 18-day poll surveyed 20,252 adults online from Nov. 20 to Dec. 8, and has a margin of error of ±1.9 percentage points in either direction.
Among the president's base, approval of his job performance has also taken a hit. While the NBC News poll found 7 in 10 MAGA supporters still say they “strongly approve” of the president’s job performance, the outlet reported fewer Republicans no longer claim to be part of the MAGA movement compared to earlier this year.
Among those who are still MAGA, Trump's popularity is still high at 70%. But it is a drop of 8 points, from 78%, since April.
For Republicans at-large, support has also dropped. Among those polled who consider themselves more supporters of the Republican Party than the MAGA movement, the share of those who “strongly approve” of Trump now stands at 35%, compared with 38% in April.
Reuters/Ipsos: Lowest approval on economy
In a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted Dec. 12-14, 39% approve of Trump's job performance. The poll surveyed 1,016 people nationwide with a margin of error of three percentage points. The approval is a point higher than his term low, per this pollster.
But where he has hit a low is in approval on how he is handling the economy. Just 33% said they approved of how he is handling the issue, according to Reuters. Approval on how he is handling the cost of living is also down to 27% from 31% earlier this month.
Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at [email protected]. Follow her onX (Twitter),Bluesky andTikTok.