President Donald Trump‘s approval rating showed a slight rebound, according to Decision Desk HQ’s polling aggregate.
Trump was previously reported to have dropped to a 41% approval rating, the lowest of his second of two non-consecutive terms in office, but has since increased to around 45% percent, which has been the rough average since January. The president is, however, expected to face more pessimism in 2026 as recent polls show his lowest-ever economic approval ratings amid steep tariffs, as well as high cost-of-living for Americans.
“Roughly a year in, he’s right in the middle. He’s right where, basically, he’s been all year, which is unremarkable. It’s remarkable because it’s unremarkable,” said Scott Tranter, the director of data science for DDHQ, of Trump’s overall approval, via the Hill.
Trump was reported to have a 41% job approval rating and a 50% disapproval rating in the final Emerson College Polling survey of 2025 released on Thursday (December 18). Trump began his second of two non-consecutive presidential terms with a 49% approval rating and a 41% disapproval rating in the Emerson College Polling survey released in January.
Polling respondents were also asked about hypothetical head-to-head matchups for the 2028 election, which showed that a moderate Democrat had an overwhelming advantage over a MAGA Republican, however, a moderate Republican would be favored over a moderate Democrat. Additionally, a moderate Republican had a strong advantage over a progressive Democrat but a progressive Democrat had a slight edge over a MAGA Republican.
“It is clear that a moderate candidate on both the Democratic and Republican side has appeal toward independent voters that a label of progressive or MAGA does not appeal to: the ‘moderate Democrat’ has a 17-point advantage over the MAGA Republican and the ‘moderate Republican’ has an 18-point advantage over the ‘progressive Democrat,’” said Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling.
Trump was also reported to currently have his lowest approval ratings ever for his handling of the economy, according to a recent Marist poll. Trump’s economic handling is reported to have dropped to 37%, which is the lowest percentage for both of his two non-consecutive terms in office, with 57% disapproving and 10% saying they were unsure.
The president also has a 38% overall approval rating, with 54% of respondents disapproving and 8% saying they were unsure.
“This is a major problem for him,” said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, via PBS News. “When affordability is so front and center in people’s minds, that’s going to be laid at the doorstep of a chief executive.”
Trump’s approval rating is also reported to have lost some ground among his ‘Make America Great Again’ base, according to the latest NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey. Two groups, those who identify as Republican and, particularly, those who claim to be part of the MAGA movement, have seen a significant drop in support since a previous poll conducted in April.
The number of voters who identify more as Republicans than part of the MAGA movement who “strongly approve” of Trump have dropped from 38% in April to 35% in the latest poll, while MAGA Republicans who “strongly approve” of the president have decreased from 78% in April to 70% currently. Additionally, fewer Republicans are identifying with the MAGA movement overall, with the party evenly split at 50% on whether they identify with the movement compared to the traditional Republican Party.
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