Only two modern-era presidents have not seen their approval ratings climb to over 50% after leaving office. The first is Richard Nixon. The second is Donald Trump.
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Gallup did retrospective approval ratings for nine of the most recent eleven presidents. Ford and Johnson were omitted because over 20% of respondents could offer no opinion. Gallup found that after leaving office, the retrospective approval rating of each former president increased. JFK is the most popular former president with a 90% approval rating. Reagan is second at 69%. George H.W. Bush is third at 66% Barack Obama is fourth at 63%. Bill Clinton is fifth at 58% followed by Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush at 57%. Trump is at 46%, and Nixon is at 32%.
Absence Has Not Made The Voter Heart Grow Fonder For Trump
This would not matter if Trump weren’t leading the Republican presidential field in 2024. It appears that Trump’s presidency is only remembered fondly by the former president and his supporters.
Voters don’t want Trump back, even as the former president leans hard into the argument that things were better in the good old days of Trump.
Trump will be a disaster of a general election candidate for Republicans. As Democrats prepare for the potential of a third party No Labels candidate siphoning votes away from President Biden, it is fair to ask how many votes beyond the Republican base Trump can get.
Trump is an anchor that is poised to sink Republicans in 2024.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
