President Trump’s job approval rating Up to 49%

WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Donald Trump may benefit from a small rally of public support as the nation faces the COVID-19 pandemic. Forty-nine percent of American adults, up from 44% earlier this month, approve of the work Trump does as president. Trump also had a 49% approval rate – the best of his presidency – in late January and early February when the Senate was ousted, which led to his acquittal.

Independence and Democrat approval for Trump’s performance has increased slightly since the beginning of the month, matching the best he has recorded to date in each group. The President’s approval rate among Republicans was already over 90%, and the rest – but it is not currently the highest ever recorded (94% in late January).

	March 2-13, 2020	March 13-22, 2020	Change
	%	%	PCT. pts.
American adults	44	49	+5
Republicans	91	92	+1
Freelancers	35	43	+8
Democrats	seven	13	+6
Gallup

Trump’s response to the new coronavirus pandemic may be behind his higher overall approval rating. The Americans give the president generally positive reviews for his handling of the situation, with 60% approval and 38% disapproval. Ninety-four percent of Republicans, 60% of independents and 27% of Democrats agree with his response.

The Trump administration has received criticism for its response to the COVID-19 pandemic – including that the president downplayed the threat, at least until his national televised speech on March 11. On March 16, Trump recognized the gravity of the situation by urging people to avoid gatherings of more than 10 people and to keep workers and students at home if possible. Since then, the administration has held daily press conferences to inform the country of what the federal government is doing to remedy the situation.

A Trump “rally”?

Two aspects of Trump’s latest approval rating suggest a rallying effect for presidential approval. His note shows a fairly sudden increase, and that increase is seen by both independents and Democrats – both very unusual for Trump in particular.

Historically, Presidential approval of jobs has increased when the nation is threatened. Every president from Franklin Roosevelt to George W. Bush has seen his approval rating increase by at least 10 points after a major national event like this. The 35 point increase in Bush after September 11 is the most noticeable rallying effect on record.

During these rallies, independents and supporters of the President’s opponent generally show increased support for the Commander-in-Chief.

The significant rally effects seem to be a relic of the past, with the political polarization of presidential approval ratings reaching new levels. Presidential approval ratings today are characterized by consistent and extremely low approval ratings from opponents of the President’s party. As a result, neither Barack Obama nor Trump saw rally effects as large as those of their predecessors, as their regular opponents were reluctant to endorse them regardless of what was going on in the country.

At most, Obama’s approval rating increased by seven points after US forces killed Osama bin Laden in May 2011. (He had organized a smaller five-point rally after the elementary school shooting by Sandy Hook in December 2012.)

Seven points is also the largest short-term increase in Trump’s approval. Its approval rate dropped from 37% to 44% in February 2019 after the end of the federal government’s closure and Trump touted American economic gains in his State of the Union address. Trump’s job approval rating increased by six points in April 2019 following the formal conclusion of special council Robert Mueller’s investigation into Trump’s campaign ties to Russia; at that time, Attorney General William Barr largely cleared the President of the wrongdoing. Trump’s job approval rate also increased by five points earlier this year when it was clear that he would be acquitted during the Senate recall trial.

Explore President Trump’s approval notes and compare them with those of former presidents of Gallup Presidential Job Approval Center.

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