Views of Trump presidency improved since late 2020: Survey

Views of former President Trump’s time in the White House have largely improved since fall 2020, according to a new poll.

The New York Times/Siena College poll, conducted April 7-11, shows voters hold more positive views of Trump’s presidency overall, as well as his handling of the economy and maintaining law and order.

Nearly half — 48 percent — of registered voters surveyed said Trump left the country better off than when he took office, compared to 46 percent who said he left it worse off.

In a comparable survey conducted in October 2020, 39 percent of voters said America was better off than it was four years ago, compared to 54 percent who said worse off.

On the economy, 64 percent of registered voters say in the poll released Sunday they either strongly approve (44 percent) or somewhat approve (20 percent) of the way Trump handled the economy when president.

In a survey conducted in September 2020, 54 percent said they approved.

Trump’s approval on maintaining law and order has ticked up, too, in the latest poll. Now, 51 percent say they approve of Trump’s handling of the issue, compared to 43 percent who said so in September 2020.

The Times noted that Americans often have rosier views of previous presidents’ tenures after they leave office. According to Gallup, former President George W. Bush’s approval rating today is 8 points higher than it was when he left office. Former President Obama’s approval rating today is 15 points higher than when he left the White House.

While this trend is not uncommon, it bodes well for Trump as he seeks another term in the White House.

According to The Hill/Decision Desk HQ’s latest national polling average, Trump has a 0.6 percentage point lead over Biden in national polls.

The Times/Siena poll of 1,059 respondents has a margin of error of 3.3 percentage points.