More Americans approve (51%) than disapprove (44%) of the way Donald Trump is handling his presidential transition. That represents an improvement from his first presidential transition, when he received equally positive and negative ratings in December 2016 and then more negative than positive ratings in January 2017. Trump’s current transition ratings still rank well below those for other recent presidents-elect. All incoming presidents since Bill Clinton had transition approval ratings of at least 61%, with approval exceeding disapproval by 30 or more percentage points for each.
The latest results are based on a Dec. 2-18 Gallup poll. Transition approval ratings for Clinton, George W. Bush and Joe Biden ranged between 61% and 68%, while Barack Obama’s ratings were higher, ranging from 75% to 83%. No more than 33% of Americans disapproved of those presidents’ transition work.
In a December 2016 Gallup poll, Americans split evenly over Trump’s transition, with 48% each rating it positively and negatively. By the next reading in January 2017, more disapproved (51%) than approved (44%).
Historically, presidential transition approval ratings have not changed greatly between the initial rating, usually taken in November or December, and later measures taken closer to Inauguration Day in January. Some presidents-elect saw their presidential transition approval ratings improve slightly (Clinton, Obama and Biden) over time, while others (Bush and Trump) saw modest declines in theirs.
Republicans More Optimistic About Trump’s Second Transition
Compared with 2016, Trump’s improved ratings this year are primarily due to more positive ratings among Republicans. Ninety-seven percent of Republicans approve of the way he is handling his transition, compared with 86% in December 2016. Independents’ approval is essentially at the same level now (47%) as eight years ago (46%), while Democrats are less likely to approve now (10%) than they were then (17%).
Trump’s transition approval ratings among independents are much lower than those of other presidents-elect. No less than 59% of independents have approved of other incoming presidents’ transitions.
Trump’s ratings among Democrats are much lower than opposition party ratings in the past. Before 2016, about half of supporters of the opposition party approved of the way presidents-elect handled their transitions. This includes 50% of Republicans approving of Clinton’s transition, 46% of Democrats approving of Bush’s and 53% of Republicans approving of Obama’s. Recently, both Trump and Biden have been evaluated much more critically by the other party’s supporters, with Trump’s transition approval ratings below 20% and Biden’s just above that level.
