Polling News

Trump’s Nostalgia Bump

April 18, 2024

A new New York Times/Sienna poll found Donald Trump might be benefitting from the nostalgia former presidents experience after they leave office. Almost every president from John F. Kennedy to Trump has seen a bump in their approval number after their presidency. Trump has also seen improvement in his numbers on his handling of key issues like the economy. 

 

By The Numbers:

  • Trump’s approval rating has improved five points since he left office. Previous presidents also saw improvement by this time in the post-White House lives: Barack Obama (+15), George W. Bush (+3), Bill Clinton (+5), George H.W. Bush (+5), Ronald Reagan (+12), Jimmy Carter (+10), Gerald Ford (+12), and John F. Kennedy (+14). 
  • Trump’s approval on the economy has improved ten points. More people (+9) believe Trump left the country better off, and more people approve of his handling of maintaining law and order (+8), unifying America (+4), handling of COVID (+3), and his handling of the Supreme Court than disapprove.

The Bottom Line: Will Trump nostalgia last until November? These numbers show while voters are aghast at how the Biden Administration has handled issues like immigration, inflation, and foreign policy, they forget some of the negative views they had at the end of Trump’s term. The New York Times noted that Hillary Clinton enjoyed similar positive numbers while she was First Lady and Secretary of State, but her numbers quickly declined when she ran for president. To keep the nostalgia alive, Republicans will need to link the good voters think Trump did in office with the good he says he’ll do if elected again. 

Related PollingNews

Placeholder polling news
October 22, 2026 |
Polling News
President Donald Trump’s job approval rating is near the lowest of any president before a midterm election, according to the latest New York Times/Siena University poll. While this has impacted the generic ballot (Democrats +11), it’s also making it diffi...
Placeholder polling news
October 15, 2026 |
Polling News
The Democrat Party holds an advantage on several key issues that matter the most to Americans, according to a new Gallup poll. But even though Americans prefer that Democrats handle more key issues today, it has not improved the Democrat Party’s image ove...
Placeholder polling news
October 08, 2026 |
Polling News
The Trump 2024 coalition was created in part with large gains with Latino voters, lifting Republicans across the country to victory. While Republicans have held on to some of those gains, this demographic has shifted over the last two years according to a...
Placeholder polling news
October 01, 2026 |
Polling News
Economic anxiety and cost-of-living pressures have voters in both major parties reevaluating policies that they previously would not have supported, a new Wall Street Journal poll found. Support for populist-leaning policies is growing and defying politic...
Button karlsbooks
Button readinglist
Button nextapperance