Poll: Trump's favorability jumps but still lags other presidents-elect
President-elect Donald Trump has experienced a surge in his favorability ratings since his Election Night victory, according to a new survey -- but his improved standing in the eyes of Americans still trails far behind other presidents-elect in the same relative time period.
In the week following the election, Gallup, in a poll published Thursday, found that 42 percent of Americans view Mr. Trump positively, an eight-point jump from 34 percent since the days preceding his win. Most Americans (55 percent), however, still view him unfavorably.
Among Republicans, that includes a favorability surge of 11 points (from 71 percent to 82 percent), while his standing among Independents climbed seven points (now 39 percent) and among Democrats, it rose five points (now 10 percent).
But when compared to the most recent presidents-elect, Mr. Trump still lags far behind. In 2008, then-president-elect Obama had a 68 percent favorability rating; in 2000, then-president-elect George W. Bush’s favorability rating was at 59 percent; and in 1992, Bill Clinton was viewed positively by 58 percent of Americans.
Mr. Trump’s unfavorable rating also surpasses that of other presidents-elect: Twenty-seven percent of Americans viewed Mr. Obama negatively, 36 percent believed that of Bush, and 35 percent of Clinton.
The president-elect’s 82 percent favorability among his own party also falls short. Ninety-five percent of Democrats viewed Mr. Obama positively, 88 percent of Democrats felt the same of Clinton. Bush also had a high favorability rating among Republicans: Ninety-three percent.
The president-elect’s improved favorability rating comes amidst waves of anti-Trump protests roiling major urban areas. In one Los Angeles demonstration late Wednesday night, protesters also organized against Steve Bannon, the former Breitbart News head who was recently named the chief strategist in Mr. Trump’s White House.
Gallup conducted its poll from Nov. 9-13, with a sample of 1,019 adults. The margin of error is 4 percentage points.