(The Hill) – President Trump’s popularity at the start of his second term is higher than it was throughout most of his first term, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Tuesday.
The poll found Trump with a 47 percent approval rating, higher than almost the entirety of his first term, though still below the majority support that most other presidents have enjoyed at the start of their administrations. His disapproval rating is 41 percent.
Only twice during Trump’s first term in Reuters/Ipsos polling did Trump have a higher approval rating than he does in this poll, both early on in his presidency. He peaked at 49 percent about a week after taking office in January 2017, and he reached 48 percent in March of that year.
Otherwise, his approval rating was at or below 47 percent, reaching lows of 33 percent in December 2017 and 34 percent in January 2021, right before leaving office and in the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
For comparison, former President Biden started his term with a higher approval rating, though it fell to the mid-to-high 30s by the end of his term. He started with an approval rating of 55 percent that peaked at 59 percent two months in.
Pollsters found possible support for some of Trump’s intentions on immigration policy, with 58 percent saying the U.S. should “dramatically reduce” the number of migrants who can claim asylum at the border. Trump has issued a flurry of executive orders on immigration since taking office Monday, including a pause on refugee admissions for at least three months, declaring a national emergency at the border and reinstituting the “Remain in Mexico” policy.
Forty-six percent said they approved of Trump’s handling of immigration in the poll.
But respondents were more critical of other early actions and proposals, including his decision to pardon nearly all of those convicted of crimes in relation to the Jan. 6 attack. Nearly 60 percent said Trump shouldn’t pardon all people convicted from the attack, and only 29 percent said they approved of how Trump is handling perceived politicization of the justice system.
And few respondents said they supported Trump’s stated ambitions for the U.S. to take control of Greenland and the Panama Canal. Only 16 percent said the U.S. should pressure Denmark to sell Greenland, while 29 percent said the U.S. should retake control of the canal.
Trump’s support was also significantly polarized, as 91 percent of Republicans said they approve of him and 84 percent of Democrats said they disapprove.
The poll was conducted Monday and Tuesday among 1,077 U.S. adults. The margin of error was about 4 percentage points.
