Politics
JUST IN: Trump Scores Net-Positive Favorability Rating For First Time Ever
President-elect Donald Trump’s position in the public eye has undergone a remarkable transformation in the wake of a decisive electoral victory and an unprecedented political comeback. For a figure who has been among the most polarizing in modern American politics, recent polling data reflects a shift few anticipated: a net-positive favorability rating.
According to the RealClearPolitics (RCP) polling average, 49.4% of Americans view Trump favorably, compared to 47.4% who hold an unfavorable opinion. This gives him a net-positive rating of +2.0%. This marks the first time in his political career that Trump’s favorability has entered positive territory, a dramatic reversal from his standings in previous years.
The data underscores a long-term trend that has been building steadily. On April 8, 2016, during his first presidential campaign, Trump faced a staggering -35.2% net favorability. Even as recently as January 11, 2023, Trump’s net favorability remained deeply underwater at -20.6%. By the time of the November 2024 election, when Trump secured his return to the White House, the gap had narrowed to -7.0%. Now, as of December 13, 2024, the figure has flipped to +2.0%.
The magnitude of Trump’s favorability shift aligns with a broader political swing to the right in the 2024 election cycle. Trump not only secured a decisive victory in the Electoral College, with 312 electoral votes to Kamala Harris’s 226, but also won the national popular vote by 1.5 percentage points, garnering 49.8% to Harris’s 48.3%. This result represents a notable departure from the 2020 election, when Joe Biden defeated Trump by 4.5 points in the popular vote.
RCP average: Donald Trump has a net positive favorability rating for the first time ever.
Favorable: 49.4% (+2.0)
Unfavorable: 47.4%
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Trump’s net favorability trendsApril 8, 2016: -35.2%
Jan. 11, 2023: -20.6%
Nov. 5, 2024: -7.0%
Dec. 13, 2024: +2.0% pic.twitter.com/ZvffzjD2mq— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) December 13, 2024
With inauguration day just over a month away, Trump’s net-positive favorability marks yet another milestone in his extraordinary political journey. The shift in Trump’s numbers comes as President Joe Biden’s favorability ratings continue to struggle. According to the RCP polling average, Biden stands at 40.8% favorable and 54.3% unfavorable, giving him a net-negative spread of -13.5%. In April 2021, during the beginning of his presidency, Biden had a positive score of +14.
Kamala Harris’s numbers also remain underwater. The RCP average places her favorability at 45.5%, with 49.5% viewing her unfavorably, yielding a net-negative spread of -4.0%. Notably, her numbers have worsened compared to earlier months. In September of 2023, she had a +18 favorability ranking, a 22-point departure from her current status.
Trump’s campaign clinched pivotal wins in battleground states such as Pennsylvania, Georgia, and North Carolina, propelling him to a robust Electoral College victory. For the first time in two decades, a Republican has also secured the popular vote. This notable achievement was supported by a surge in minority voter backing, particularly among Hispanic and Black communities. Riding this wave of support, the Republican Party regained control of the U.S. Senate, flipping seats in states like West Virginia, Ohio, and Montana. They are also poised to maintain a slim majority in the House of Representatives, setting the stage for a unified Republican government in 2025 and beyond.
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