New National Poll Shows Deep Divide Over Donald Trump’s Place in Presidential History

A new national study issued around Presidents Day shows that Americans are divided on President Donald Trump’s legacy. The current data suggests that a large portion of the public rates him among the weakest presidents, while a smaller proportion ranks him among the finest. The results show a country with strong and contrasting views of his leadership.

The Yahoo/YouGov poll of 1,704 U.S. adults from February 9 to 12 found that 40% consider Donald Trump the “worst” president ever. Another 12% say he is “worse than average” among White House officials. He’s the “best” president in American history, say 12%. Another 21% call him “better than average,” and 9% are in the middle.

Americans compared Trump to former President Joe Biden in the survey. Trump is performing worse than Biden, according to 49% of respondents. However, 41% feel Trump is doing better than his predecessor. Independent voters are even more divided. 53 percent think Trump is performing worse than Biden, while 33 percent think he is better.

Several recent national polls have shown similar outcomes. On February 2, 51 percent of U.S. voters said Trump is doing a worse job as president than Biden, while 49 percent said he is doing better. A Rasmussen Reports poll found that 48% of Americans thought Biden did better than Trump, compared to 40% who prefer Trump. According to an Economist/YouGov poll, 46% of U.S. citizens think Trump is doing worse than Biden, while 40% think he is better.

Americans were asked to compare Trump’s performance to Obama’s in the Yahoo/YouGov poll. In that comparison, 55% feel Trump is doing worse than Obama. Only 37% think he’s improving. Independent voters differ even more. Just 16% think Trump is outperforming Obama, while 57% say he is underperforming.

Latest poll approval ratings reveal more hurdles for the president. Trump’s approval rating is 38%, his lowest since returning to office. His disapproval rating is 58 percent, the highest in this survey. His 20-point approval-disapproval difference puts him “underwater” in public perception.

Yahoo/YouGov polls have a three-point margin of error. As with any public opinion research, the results reflect how Americans felt on survey days. Political events may change opinions.

Overall, these polls reflect a highly divided electorate. A core group of followers still like Trump and put him among the finest presidents, but most Americans dislike him and rank him near the bottom of historical rankings. Comparisons to Joe Biden and Barack Obama show popular opinion’s division.

As national political disputes continue, surveys like this reveal voter opinions on leadership and presidential performance. In the following months, public opinion will undoubtedly shape political discourse as approval ratings and historical rankings become prominent topics.