Polling News

Trump’s Nostalgia Bump

April 18, 2024

A new New York Times/Sienna poll found Donald Trump might be benefitting from the nostalgia former presidents experience after they leave office. Almost every president from John F. Kennedy to Trump has seen a bump in their approval number after their presidency. Trump has also seen improvement in his numbers on his handling of key issues like the economy. 

 

By The Numbers:

  • Trump’s approval rating has improved five points since he left office. Previous presidents also saw improvement by this time in the post-White House lives: Barack Obama (+15), George W. Bush (+3), Bill Clinton (+5), George H.W. Bush (+5), Ronald Reagan (+12), Jimmy Carter (+10), Gerald Ford (+12), and John F. Kennedy (+14). 
  • Trump’s approval on the economy has improved ten points. More people (+9) believe Trump left the country better off, and more people approve of his handling of maintaining law and order (+8), unifying America (+4), handling of COVID (+3), and his handling of the Supreme Court than disapprove.

The Bottom Line: Will Trump nostalgia last until November? These numbers show while voters are aghast at how the Biden Administration has handled issues like immigration, inflation, and foreign policy, they forget some of the negative views they had at the end of Trump’s term. The New York Times noted that Hillary Clinton enjoyed similar positive numbers while she was First Lady and Secretary of State, but her numbers quickly declined when she ran for president. To keep the nostalgia alive, Republicans will need to link the good voters think Trump did in office with the good he says he’ll do if elected again. 

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