Jul 22, 2017 - Politics & Policy

Trump makes history for lowest approval rating in first 6 months

At the six-month mark of his presidency, America is becoming less impressed with Donald Trump's performance as president. And this is how he compares to his predecessors:

  • No other president has received an approval rating as low as Trump in their first six months in office.
  • Trump has received a lower approval rating than Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and Gerald Ford ever had in office.
  • Many former presidents received their highest approval ratings early on, some within the first 6 months.
Data: The American Presidency Project, Gallup Poll; Note: Trump and Obama distributions are weekly averages from daily polls; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon / Axios
Data: The American Presidency Project, Gallup Poll; Note: Trump and Obama distributions are weekly averages from daily polls; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon / Axios

It's not all bad: Trump has struggled to pass the key legislative items on his agenda, but he still has three and a half more years to push policy through and improve his ratings.

The best and worst ratings of the past nine presidents, and when.

Donald Trump

High: 46%, Day 2

Low: 35%, Day 65

Barack Obama

High: 69% — Day 2

Low: 38% — Day 942

George W. Bush

High: 89% — Day 380

Low: 25% — Day 2,813

Bill Clinton

High: 71% — Day 2,886

Low: 36% — Day 136

George H.W. Bush

High: 89% — Day 769

Low: 29% — Day 1,288

Ronald Reagan

High: 71% — Day 1,835

Low: 35% — Day 738

Jimmy Carter

High: 74% — Day 54

Low: 28% — Day 887

Gerald Ford

*Inaugurated August 9, 1974

High: 70% — Day 4

Low: 37% — Day 151

Richard Nixon

High: 66% — Day 1,464

Low: 22% — Day 1,808

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