Most Americans approve of Trump transition phase, poll finds. What about past presidents?

Most Americans approve of the way President-elect Donald Trump has managed the presidential transition process thus far, according to new polling. How does that compare to past presidents?

In a poll conducted for CNN, 55% of respondents said they approved of how Trump has handled the transition, while 45% disapproved.

A strong majority, 73%, also said they have been closely or somewhat closely following the news about the transition. Twenty-seven percent, meanwhile, said they have been following it not at all closely or not too closely.

The poll, conducted by SSRS between Dec. 5 and 8, sampled 1,011 U.S. adults and has a margin of error of 3.8 percentage points.

It comes one month after Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election, during which time he has made numerous Cabinet nominations and other appointments to his incoming administration.

During the transition phase, he has also met with President Joe Biden at the White House and other world leaders in Paris. Additionally, he has announced a number of his policy proposals ahead of his inauguration, which will take place on Jan. 20.

Approval rating of past presidential transitions

Trump’s approval rating for his transition period, while over 50%, is still relatively low. All of his recent predecessors have had higher ratings during similar periods.

In January 2021, before Biden’s inauguration, 66% of Americans said they approved of the way he had handled the transition process. Meanwhile, 29% disapproved, according to an SSRS poll conducted between Jan. 9 and 14.

Similarly, in December 2008, 82% of Americans approved of the way then-President-elect Barack Obama had handled the presidential transition. Fifteen percent disapproved, according to an SSRS poll fielded between Dec. 19 and 21.

Obama’s handling of the transition had the highest approval rating of any president in the past 30 years, according to SSRS polling.

His predecessor, President George W. Bush, had a significantly lower rating.

An SRSS poll conducted between Jan. 5 and 7, 2001, found 65% of Americans approved of his handling of the transition, while 26% disapproved.

And in December 1992, 62% of Americans approved of then President-elect Bill Clinton’s transition process, while 14% disapproved, according to an SSRS poll conducted between Nov. 19 and 20.

Trump’s latest rating, however, is 15 points higher than his rating ahead of his first term.

In January 2017, 40% of Americans approved of the way then-President-elect Trump had handled the transition process, while a majority, 52%, disapproved, according to an SSRS poll fielded between Jan. 12 and 15.

This story was originally published December 11, 2024 at 2:04 PM with the headline "Most Americans approve of Trump transition phase, poll finds. What about past presidents?."