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President Donald Trump’s approval rating is higher during the transition ahead of his second term than his first term, according to a new Gallup survey.
The survey showed 51 percent approve of Trump’s transition efforts, compared with 44 percent ahead of his inauguration in 2017.
“More Americans approve (51%) than disapprove (44%) of the way Donald Trump is handling his presidential transition. That represents an improvement from his first presidential transition, when he received equally positive and negative ratings in December 2016 and then more negative than positive ratings in January 2017,” Gallup reported.
The difference between the first and second term transition survey was largely due to increased satisfaction among Republicans, the study observed.
“Compared with 2016, Trump’s improved ratings this year are primarily due to more positive ratings among Republicans. Ninety-seven percent of Republicans approve of the way he is handling his transition, compared with 86% in December 2016,” Gallup noted.
“Independents’ approval is essentially at the same level now (47%) as eight years ago (46%), while Democrats are less likely to approve now (10%) than they were then (17%),” it continued.
The survey follows a report earlier in December that Americans strongly back President Donald Trump’s nominations and transition efforts, according to research cited in a news release from the Trump-Vance transition team.
“A majority of Americans approve of how President Trump is handling the transition, including a plurality of independents and even one-in-five Democrats. The numbers, which remain unchanged over the past three weeks, are in line with other recent polls, all of which have highlighted strong support for President Trump’s transition and agenda,” the statement read.
The high approval ratings follow an Emerson College survey released last month that revealed Trump is returning to office with one of his highest approval ratings ever, while President Joe Biden departs at his lowest approval rating while in office.
The study found 54 percent approving of Trump, with just 36 percent approving of Biden.
“Trump’s favorability varies significantly by gender, race, and age,” said Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling. “Trump’s strongest age cohort is among voters 40-59, with 60% viewing him favorably, compared to 48% among those over 70. Notably, his favorability has risen among younger voters, with 55% of those under 30 expressing a favorable opinion.”
