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How have Trump's approval ratings trended over time compared with recent presidents (Obama, Bush, Clinton)?
Executive summary
Donald Trump’s approval ratings in his recent presidency have been unusually low and volatile compared with many recent presidents: multiple trackers and polls in 2025–2025 show his approval generally in the high‑30s to low‑40s and often net negative, with some trackers calling recent readings “record lows” for his second term [1] [2] [3]. Historical comparisons in Gallup and archival reporting show other modern presidents (Obama, George W. Bush, Clinton) began their terms with substantially higher “honeymoon” approval levels (e.g., Obama ~59–61% early; Bush and Clinton varying by year) and often enjoyed majority approval at comparable early points, though exceptions and second‑term dips exist [4] [5] [6].
1. Trump’s pattern: low, negative net, and unusually fast decline
Multiple outlets and poll trackers describe Trump’s approval in 2025 as both negative on net and in many polls at or near his second‑term lows: Newsweek flagged a -14 net in its tracker and described a steady decline [1]; Napolitan/RMG polling reported a -5 net in late October–early November 2025 and Newsweek noted that several pollsters now show Trump underwater [2]. The Economist’s tracker stated that “no recent president has fallen so low so quickly as Donald Trump,” noting that public opinion at the start of his second term was nearly evenly divided then moved downward [3]. Gallup quarterly measures also show sub‑50% averages in 2025 quarters for Trump, a comparatively weak standing versus typical post‑WWII norms [5] [6].
2. How that compares with Obama, Bush and Clinton at similar points
Contemporary reporting and retrospective snapshots show that Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton generally had stronger early approval readings in their early terms. The Palm Beach Post summarized June‑of‑first‑year figures such as Barack Obama at about 61% in June 2009 and George W. Bush at ~54% in June 2001, with Bill Clinton at 41% in June 1993 [4]. Gallup’s historical polling context confirms that many post‑WWII presidents tended to have majority‑level quarterly approval early on; presidents who dipped below 50% in particular quarters are treated as exceptions [5] [6].
3. Exceptions and nuance: not all presidents rode high the whole time
While Trump’s readings are low relative to many peers, Gallup notes there are precedents for sub‑majority quarterly ratings: George W. Bush and Barack Obama had sub‑50% third‑quarter ratings in their second terms, and Bill Clinton had a sub‑majority second‑quarter rating in his first term—showing that dips, especially in second terms, are not unprecedented [5] [6]. The New York Times interactive also points out that several recent presidents saw negative or under‑50 readings in parts of their terms [7]. Thus the comparison must distinguish between early “honeymoon” highs and later mid‑term/second‑term declines.
4. Measurement differences and tracker variability matter
Different pollsters and trackers give different snapshots: Reuters/Ipsos, Gallup, CNN/SSRS, YouGov/Economist, RMG/Napolitan and RealClearPolitics or aggregator tools each produce slightly different point estimates and net approval calculations [8] [5] [9] [2] [3]. News outlets note that some trackers placed Trump at record negative net values while others showed him closer to the high‑30s approval band; this variation reflects methodology, timing, question wording and sampling [1] [2] [3].
5. What reporters emphasize and possible agendas to watch
Different outlets frame the numbers with different emphases: Newsweek highlighted “record low” language using its tracker [1], The Economist emphasized the speed of decline relative to recent presidents [3], and Gallup stressed historical context and comparability across quarters [5] [6]. Each organization’s tracker or polling partner and editorial priorities can shape headlines; readers should note whether an article cites a single poll, a proprietary tracker, or an aggregation of multiple polls before concluding how unusual a president’s position truly is [1] [3] [5].
6. Limitations of available reporting and what is not covered
Available sources give clear snapshots and some quarterly or tracker comparisons but do not provide a single, standardized time‑series comparison in these search results that plots Trump immediately against Obama, Bush and Clinton across identical time windows and methodologies—such a harmonized chart is not present in the current reporting (not found in current reporting). For definitive longitudinal comparison you would need a single aggregator or data harmonization (e.g., Gallup long‑run series or an apples‑to‑apples aggregated tracker), which the supplied sources do not fully deliver here [10] [5].
Bottom line: reporting in 2025 shows Trump with unusually low and often net‑negative approval compared with the early or average readings of recent presidents, but methodological differences and some historical precedents for mid‑term drops mean the story is about both unusually weak public standing and the particulars of measurement and timing [1] [3] [5] [6].