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POLL: Trump Boasts Record-High Approval Rating As His Second Term Approaches

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President-elect Donald Trump is riding high in the polls less than a week before he is set to take office, a sign that the fond memories of his first administration are still fresh as Americans look forward to another four years of his leadership.

His perch is the antithesis of the predicament faced by President Joe Biden, who will leave office with a 37% approval rating on the same day that he is set to deliver his farewell speech before a nation that appears to have been looking forward to this moment for some time. The survey of 1,000 U.S. adults, performed by Emerson College, was in the field from January 10th to 11th and sits 12 points lower than where Biden was shortly before he took office. Respondents cited their most pressing issues as the economy (36%) followed by immigration (17%) and healthcare (12%), the first two issues having buoyed Trump in the election. Based on the results, it appears the president-elect’s favorability has only risen since the election.

A poll two weeks after Election Day showed President-elect Trump with a 47% approval rating, which was enough to inch ahead of singer and Harris endorser Taylor Swift at 44%. Since then, the percentage of Americans who view the Republican favorably has climbed to an outright majority at 52%, putting him in the driver’s seat to execute on the MAGA agenda after voters delivered him a decisive win at the polls. At the same time, 55% of the latest poll’s respondents said it was appropriate for courts to hold future presidents accountable for falsifying business records, harkening back to Trump’s hush money case where last week he was sentenced to an “unconditional discharge.” “Trump’s conviction continues to highlight partisan divides, independents aligning more with Democrats on this issue,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said in a news release obtained by YourErie. “Eighty-seven percent of Democrats and 57% of independents think the trial was appropriate to hold Trump accountable, while 79% of Republicans hint the trial was a political witch hunt.”

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA – NOVEMBER 04: Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump holds a campaign rally at the PPG Paints Arena on November 04, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Whether Trump can turn his favorable numbers into a broader belief that the country is on the right track remains to be seen. Despite his popularity, two-thirds of poll respondents said they think the U.S. is on the wrong track, a belief that transcends political party. “All political parties consider the country on the wrong track heading into 2025: 62% of Democrats, along with 70% of Republicans and 69% of independents,” Emerson wrote in a news release. To be sure, President Biden did not inherit an optimistic country: four years ago, 54% of voters felt the country was on the wrong track, a number that has grown as a result of stagnantly high prices, an immigration crisis, and billions of dollars sent overseas to support foreign wars.

Those benefitting most from President-elect Trump’s standing appear to be his nominees, some of whom face their confirmation hearings before Senate committees this week. Shortly after the election, 53% approved of the way Trump is handling his transition while only 40% disapproved. That may explain why Republican senators believe Pete Hegseth, the controversial Defense Department nominee, has the votes to be confirmed as soon as next week.