Keep Factually independent
Whether you agree or disagree with our analysis, these conversations matter for democracy. We don't take money from political groups - even a $5 donation helps us keep it that way.
How did Donald Trump's approval ratings compare to other US presidents?
Executive summary
Donald Trump’s approval in late 2025 is clustered in the high‑30s to low‑40s across major polls: Reuters/Ipsos and Ipsos report 38% (net negative) [1] [2], CNN/SSRS and The New York Times daily average note a 37% reading as a second‑term low [3] [4], and Fox polling shows about 41% [5] [6]. Nate Silver’s compilation and historic datasets let analysts directly compare those figures to every president since Truman [7].
1. A snapshot: where Trump stands now
Recent nationwide polls in November 2025 put President Trump’s overall approval mostly in the high‑30s: Reuters/Ipsos and Ipsos report 38% and characterize his net approval as negative [1] [2], CNN/SSRS and The New York Times list a 37% figure and call it a second‑term low [3] [4], while Fox’s registered‑voter survey records 41% approval [5] [6]. Different pollsters sample different populations (registered voters, likely voters, adults), which explains modest spreads between these contemporaneous numbers [7] [4].
2. Comparing to historical presidents: tools and trends
Nate Silver’s published dataset compiles daily approval ratings for every president since Harry Truman, enabling side‑by‑side comparisons [7]. The New York Times interactive charts use similar aggregated polling to place Trump relative to predecessors and note that he began his current term with a lower net approval than many modern presidents [4]. These data tools show that contemporary presidents often face a polarized floor and ceiling — durable party loyalty that keeps supporters largely steady and entrenched opposition that keeps overall averages depressed [2].
3. How Trump’s second term compares to his first and others
Reporting indicates that Trump’s second‑term approval has been somewhat better than parts of his first term at times but has recently declined to second‑term lows in several polls [4] [8]. News outlets and pollsters emphasize that his early second‑term net approval still started lower than many predecessors’ starts [4] [9]. In short: compared with other modern presidents, Trump’s approval has been unusually low at several comparable points — but precise ranking depends on which day, poll, and aggregation you use [7] [4].
4. Why the polls are moving: issues driving approval
Pollsters and news reports link recent declines to pocketbook concerns (cost of living, economy) and political controversies such as renewed attention to the Jeffrey Epstein files and the government shutdown; Reuters/Ipsos and Ipsos both identify the economy and Epstein coverage as downward pressures [1] [2]. AP‑NORC, Fortune and Fox also note falling Republican enthusiasm and lower marks on government management and the economy as contributors to the slump [10] [11] [6].
5. What the numbers mean politically — and the limits of interpretation
Ipsos models note that an incumbent with roughly 40% approval faces roughly coin‑flip odds in a reelection context, while a successor polling at that level fares far worse — but modeling caveats matter: poll type, timing, and issue salience shift odds [2]. Aggregators such as FiveThirtyEight/Nate Silver and The New York Times emphasize that single polls are noisy; daily averages and long‑run comparisons give a more reliable picture [7] [4]. Available sources do not mention complete cross‑president rankings at every point in time without consulting the raw Silver dataset [7].
6. Competing perspectives and potential agendas
Mainstream outlets broadly agree Trump’s approval has fallen in November 2025, but they frame the significance differently: Reuters, NPR, and Ipsos emphasize policy and scandal as drivers and the electoral implications [1] [12] [2], The Guardian and The New York Times emphasize historical comparison and democratic concerns [3] [4], while outlets like Fox emphasize polling specifics that can be more favorable [5] [6]. Nate Silver’s compilation is a tool for neutral comparison but is produced by an analystial outlet whose audience expects data‑driven rankings [7]. Each source’s editorial focus and methodological choices shape how the numbers are presented.
7. Bottom line for readers
As of mid‑ to late November 2025, major polls cluster Trump’s approval in the high‑30s to low‑40s with a negative net approval on key issues [1] [2]. Historical comparisons are possible and maintained in datasets going back to Truman [7] [4], but precise rank‑order conclusions depend on which poll[13], averaging method, and date you use — and different news outlets highlight different implications for politics and policy [7] [1] [6].