Trump Gets High Marks For Transition Process In New Poll—But Lags Behind Previous Presidents
Key Facts
A majority of respondents said they believe Trump will do a good job when he returns to the White House next month (54%) and approve of how he’s handling the transition so far (55%).
Comparatively, President Joe Biden had a 66% approval rating of his transition process, while former President Barack Obama received a 79% approval rating of his first transition, 65% approved of former President George W. Bush’s first transition and 62% approved former President Bill Clinton’s.
And while less than half (48%) believe Trump will bring positive change to the country, the share of respondents who say things are going “very badly” in America is at its lowest point (15%) since May 2018 and the share who say things are going well (38%) has reached its highest point since December 2021, though 61% still say things are going badly.
Trump is also getting higher marks than he did during his 2016 transition, with 48% saying he will bring change for the better, compared to 43% who said the same in 2016—a shift the poll attributes to increased support among demographics that typically lean Democratic, including women (the share of which said they expect Trump to bring positive change has gone up 10 points), people of color (11-point increase) and people younger than 45 (up 8 points).
More Americans have “a lot” of confidence in Trump to handle the economy (39%) than any other issue the poll asked about, and Trump polls higher when it comes to respondents’ faith in his ability to handle the economy than previous presidents George W. Bush (29%), Bill Clinton (20%) and Ronald Reagan (26%) during their transitions.
Contra
Confidence in Trump to appoint the best people to his administration has declined to 26% compared to 32% in 2016, with fewer Republicans (56% versus 72%) and independents (18% versus 26%) expressing deep confidence in Trump to appoint the best people.
Big Number
68%. That’s the share of Americans who disapprove of Biden’s decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden, on federal tax and gun charges earlier this month. Biden made the surprise decision after repeatedly saying he had no plans to pardon his son.
Key Background
The poll is consistent with a November CBS/YouGov survey that also found the majority of respondents (59%) approve of Trump’s handling of the transition process. Trump has announced new appointments to his administration nearly every day since Nov. 7, starting with his campaign manager Susie Wiles as chief of staff. Several controversial appointees face uncertain futures in the Senate confirmation process, particularly Trump’s choice for Defense secretary, former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, who has faced allegations of concerning drinking habits and was accused of sexual assault in 2017 (which he has denied). Trump’s initial pick for attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., bowed out of the process amid a sexual misconduct scandal as it became clear he may not have the votes to pass Senate muster. Trump nominated former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to replace Gaetz.
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