Trump Is The Most Unpopular President To Seek Reelection Since Gerald Ford
Darren.Woon
How popular is Donald Trump? On Jan. 1, 42.6 percent of Americans approved of President Trump’s job performance, according to FiveThirtyEight.
For President Trump, his average approval rating is the second-lowest of any recent president on the first day of their reelection year. Only Gerald Ford was less popular, at 39.3 percent on Jan. 1, 1976.
Past presidents’ approval ratings have tended to shift over the course of the year, but those shifts haven’t been predictable. This is most likely due to the highly polarized era we live in, in which most voters have already made up their minds about what they think about presidents.
Five of the last 11 presidents running for reelection saw their approval ratings rise during the year while six saw them decline.
Trump has had a remarkably steady approval rating, only fluctuating about 9 points over the course of his presidency, yet it’s important to note that the recent events in Iran may shake things up.
President Trump will undoubtedly start off the new year at a disadvantage, as presidents with an approval rating of 43.6 percent or lower all lost their reelections since Dwight D. Eisenhower.