Trump Approval Ratings: Comparing Trump's Ratings With Obama's And Bush's

A breakdown of President Donald Trump's approval ratings may provide a glimpse into how the current administration has remained out of favor with independents and from those outside his party, while maintaining support from Trump's base. A recent poll showed that 96 percent of Trump voters would cast their ballot for him again, despite overall polls showing Americans do not approve of the president's first 100 days in office.

Trump's 100-day milestone was on April 29, and his approval and disapproval ratings were not far off from Inauguration Day. Using Gallup poll data, Trump began his presidency with a 46 percent approval rating and a 45 disapproval rating. In the latest Gallup Poll (from April 27-29) his approval rating dipped just 4 points to 42 percent while his disapproval rating jumped 8 points to 53 percent.

Since he began his term, Trump's best approval and disapproval ratings have not been particularly encouraging. His highest approval rating came from Rasmussen in his first week in office, at 57 percent, while his lowest disapproval rating also came from his first week in office with The Economist/YouGov showing his rating at 39 percent.

In contrast, Barack Obama and George W. Bush shared nearly identical Gallup approval ratings in their first 100 days. Obama had a 62 percent approval rating, while Bush had a 65 approval rating, and both had a 29 percent disapproval rating. When comparing Obama and Bush's best approval and disapproval ratings throughout the first 100 days, they surge past Trump.

Perhaps a reason for Trump's poor numbers might be due to his Election Day results. Trump received 46.1 percent of the vote, while in their first presidential elections Obama received 52.9 percent and Bush received 47.9 percent.

The polls reveal how polarizing Trump has become compared to other presidents. Many have previously enjoyed a honeymoon period with mostly consistent and positive approval and disapproval ratings.

Mark Blumenthal, head of election polling for online survey site SurveyMonkey, described the partisanship to Politico as "remarkable."