Donald Trump’s approval rating hit an all-time low for his four years in office as he departed the White House for good on Wednesday.
According to aGallup pollconducted Jan. 4-15 and published Monday, Trump, 74, completed his presidency with 34 percent of Americans approving of his job — his worst performance in Gallup polls since he took office in January 2017.
What’s more, on average, the 45th president had just a 41 percent approval rating during his full term — four points lower than any of his predecessors in Gallup’s polling era, which began with Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938.
In comparison, former PresidentBarack Obamaleft office in January 2017 with an approval rating of 59 percent, while his average approval rating from his eight years in office was 47.9 percent.George W. Bush’s average approval rating was 49.4 percent, though his final rating before he left office in 2009 amid the Great Recession was, like Trump’s, 34 percent.
Donald Trump.Erin Schaff - Pool/Getty Images
Afterprotests over racial injusticebuilt across the country in 2020 in response toGeorge Floyd’s death in June, Trump’s support fell below 40 percent as he responded to the movement with open and sometimes racist disdain.
He slightly recovered several months later in the last poll conducted before his election loss toJoe Bidenin November, seeing a 46 percent approval rating from Americans.
According to Gallup, Trump is the only president since polling began with Roosevelt not to receive more than 50 percent of support from Americans at any point in his presidency.
However, public support for Trump was shown to slightly improve during his four-year presidency, averaging 38 percent his first year, 40 percent his second year, 42 percent his third year and 43 percent his last year, according to Gallup.
Trump’s administration wasplagued with numerous controversies, such as the investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election, his relationship with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and his hesitancy to condemn white supremacists.
Donald Trump waves to the members of the media after his final flight on Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Jan. 20.Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP/Shutterstock
Breaking tradition, Trump did not attend Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday (thought his Vice PresidentMike Pencewas there) and instead held a final send-off as he boarded Air Force Once in Washington, D.C., bound for his private Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida.
Once on the tarmac, Trump spoke to a crowd of approximately 200 guests, including his adult children.
He touted his four years in office and praised his supporters, telling them, “We will be back in some form,” which was met with a small burst of cheers.
The former president then gave his parting message: “Have a good life,” he said. “We will see you soon.”
source: people.com
