President Donald Trump’s first term starts with an approval rating just below 50%, according to the latest poll.
Massachusetts-based Emerson College’s national poll shows Trump with a January approval rating of 49% compared to 41% disapproval and 10% who said they were neutral. The results, according to polling officials, mark the lowest disapproval rating for Trump since his first term in 2016-2020.
“President Trump’s 49% job approval rating closely reflects his share of national support in the 2024 election, and his 41% disapproval is the lowest it has been in Emerson national polls dating back to his first term,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said. “All age groups have a net approval of Trump, including voters under 30 (46%-38%), except those over 70, who narrowly disapprove (49%-48%).”
The poll also shows optimism about the future of the U.S. as a whole.
A majority of voters – 52% – think the U.S. is headed in the right direction compared to 48% who believe it is not on the right track. That’s a significant shift from earlier this month when 67% said the country was on the wrong track and 33% in the right direction.
Republicans were most optimistic as Trump retakes the White House.
“The shift is rooted in a flip of Republican perception and lessening of independents who say the country is on the wrong track,” Kimball said. “Earlier this month, 70% of Republicans felt the country was on the wrong track, now 87% feel it is headed in the right direction. The share of independents who say the country is on the wrong track decreased from 69% to 53%, while Democrats’ perception that the country is on the wrong track intensified from 62% to 79%.”
Top concerns for voters include the economy (35%), immigration (16%), threats to democracy (15%), healthcare (9%) and housing affordability (6%).
The Emerson College poll was conducted Jan. 27-28 among 1,000 registered voters with a margin of error of plus/minus 3 percentage points.
