Trump 2.0 initial approval ratings higher than in first term
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President Trump arrives to sign the "No Men in Women's Sports" executive order in the East Room of the White House on Feb. 5 in Washington, DC. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
President Trump's early approval ratings show he's settled into office in a better spot than in 2017 — but Americans remain starkly divided based on partisan affiliations.
The big picture: Trump left office in 2021 with the lowest approval ratings of his White House tenure, but the early days of Trump 2.0 have ranked among the highest ratings of his political career, per some polls.
- Still, compared to other modern presidents, his initial job approval ratings are weaker, according to Gallup's data.
By the numbers: 53% of Americans approve of Trump so far, according to a newly released CBS News/YouGov poll conducted Feb. 5 to 7, while 47% disapproved.
- The poll marked the highest presidential approval rating for Trump in a CBS News poll, "Face the Nation" anchor Margaret Brennan said on Sunday's broadcast.
- In a February 2017 CBS News poll, its first measure of Trump's performance, only 40% approved of how he was handling the job.
- A large majority, 70%, said he was doing what he promised in the campaign, per the poll that was released on Sunday.
Yes, but: 66% said he was not focusing enough on lowering prices, a key campaign trail promise that propelled Trump to the White House.
- The country is also split on how much influence Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency team should have over government operations and spending.
- 44% of Republicans said Musk and DOGE should have "some" influence, while just 13% of Democrats agreed.
Zoom out: Gallup's initial job approval rating for Trump, collected Jan. 21 to 27, was slightly higher than its first poll conducted after his 2017 inauguration, which showed 45% approval.
- But his latest disapproval rating, 48%, was three percentage points higher than in 2017 — a new high for the pollster.
- His ratings were sharply partisan: 91% of Republicans approved, compared with 6% of Democrats and 46% of independents.
Pew Research Center, in its Jan. 27 to Feb. 2 survey, found that 47% of U.S. adults approved of how Trump was handling the presidency, while 51% said they disapproved.
- The current approval rating is higher than any other point in his first four-year term, per Pew.
- But those numbers similarly demonstrated a stark partisan divide: 84% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents approved of the job he was doing, compared to just 10% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters.
- That gap is similar to much of his first term, Pew noted, but differs from his final weeks in office, when 60% of Republicans approved of his job performance.
Friction point: Trump's pardons for Jan. 6 rioters who were convicted of violent crimes received broad (74%) disapproval, according to Pew.
Per CBS, Americans have mixed opinions on Trump's tariff threats depending on the country he's targeting.
- For example, while 56% approve of tariffs on China, 62% oppose tariffs on Canadian goods.
The bottom line: Per Gallup's polling, initial approval ratings for all elected presidents since former President Eisenhower, excluding Trump, averaged 61%.
- Americans are divided on how well Trump is doing his job — but relative to eight years ago, polling suggests he may have more wiggle room.
Go deeper: Majority of Americans have unfavorable view of Musk, DOGE: AP-NORC poll
