--- title: Trump Approval Rating Lower Than Other Presidents, Poll Says description: President Donald Trump has received low approval ratings that are worse than any other president's over several decades, according to a poll canonical: https://time.com/5010653/donald-trump-approval-ratings-low-poll/ author: Jennifer Calfas article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-11-05T17:01:35.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T18:07:12.429Z article:section: Politics og:title: President Trump's Approval Rating Is Lower Than Any Modern President og:description: Barack Obama and George W. Bush had higher ratings at this time in their presidency og:url: https://time.com/5010653/donald-trump-approval-ratings-low-poll/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2ef5f54534f69085/6988e379196cf4a0eb0427c6/donald-trump-opioid-crisis-public-health-emergency.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4500 og:image:height: 2531 og:image:alt: President Trump departs the White House en route to Dallas, Texas - DC og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: President Trump's Approval Rating Is Lower Than Any Modern President twitter:description: Barack Obama and George W. Bush had higher ratings at this time in their presidency twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2ef5f54534f69085/6988e379196cf4a0eb0427c6/donald-trump-opioid-crisis-public-health-emergency.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # President Trump's Approval Rating Is Lower Than Any Modern President > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Jennifer Calfas](https://time.com/author/jennifer-calfas/) ## Jennifer Calfas Nov 5, 2017 5:01 PM UTC  US President Donald Trump talks to reporters before boarding Marine One to depart from the White House on October 25, 2017 in Washington DC. US President Donald Trump talks to reporters before boarding Marine One to depart from the White House on October 25, 2017 in Washington DC. Olivier Douliery—Abaca Press/AP Images by [Jennifer Calfas](https://time.com/author/jennifer-calfas/) ## Jennifer Calfas Nov 5, 2017 5:01 PM UTC Ahead of the first anniversary of his 2016 presidential election victor, [President Donald Trump](http://time.com/5010608/president-trump-asia-trip/) has received low approval ratings that are worse than any other president’s over the past several decades, according [to a new poll](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/poll-trumps-performance-lags-behind-even-tepid-public-expectations/2017/11/04/35d2a912-bf4d-11e7-959c-fe2b598d8c00%5Fstory.html?hpid=hp%5Fhp-top-table-main%5Fpoll-1205am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm%5Fterm=.b094c946fb35). A [Washington _Post_\-ABC News poll](https://www.washingtonpost.com/page/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2017/11/05/National-Politics/Polling/release%5F502.xml) released Sunday found that Trump has a 37% approval rating about nine months into his time as president. That’s a lower number than other president’s approval ratings at the same time in their tenures over the course of seven decades of polling, according to the _Post_. With a 59% disapproval rating, Trump’s approval margin is -22 — the only president to have a negative margin in decades, according to the poll. Former President Barack Obama had a 57% approval rating and 40% disapproval rating — a margin of 17 — at the same time during his tenure in November 2009\. Former President George W. Bush had a 89% approval rating and a 9% disapproval rating — a margin of 80 — at this time in November 2001\. And former President Bill Clinton had an approval rating of 52% and a disapproval rating of 41% in November 1993 — making his margin 11, the lowest before Trump’s -22% margin in recent history. Trump’s approval rating has fallen since he took office. He has faced a number of controversies while in the Oval Office, including the recent [indictments](http://time.com/5002802/paul-manafort-rick-gates-mueller-charges-conspiracy/) that came as a result of the investigation into whether his campaign colluded with Russia to sway the 2016 election, the controversial [responses](http://time.com/4942797/donald-trump-tim-scott-both-sides-charlottesville-antifa/) to a violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., and [hurricanes](http://time.com/4985125/donald-trump-hurricane-maria-approval-rating-puerto-rico/) that have hit the U.S. and its territories, as well as Trump’s difficulty pushing through promised legislation, like the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act. According to the _Post_‘s poll, 65% of Americans said Trump had accomplished “not much” or “little to nothing” since starting in the White House in January. Additionally, 55% of Americans said Trump was not keeping his major campaign promises — up from 41% who said the same in the spring, according to the poll. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5010653/donald-trump-approval-ratings-low-poll/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5010653/donald-trump-approval-ratings-low-poll/"},"headline":"President Trump's Approval Rating Is Lower Than Any Modern President","datePublished":"2017-11-05T17:01:35.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T18:07:12.429Z","description":"Former presidents Barack Obama and George W. 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