Donald Trump ranks as second-most popular president of 21st century in new poll
WASHINGTON, DC: A new poll reveals that Donald Trump is now the second-most popular US president of the 21st century.
Former President Barack Obama continues to lead in popularity, but Trump has outpaced both George W Bush and Joe Biden.
Barack Obama leads among youth, women and Black voters in survey
The latest survey by Quantus Insights, conducted between June 30 and July 2 with 1,000 registered voters, shows Barack Obama as the top choice with 47 percent, followed by Trump at 37 percent. Bush stands at 12 percent, while Joe Biden trails with just 4 percent.
Obama remains the top pick among several key voter groups, especially women (53 percent), Black voters (72 percent), college graduates (53 percent), and younger voters under 30 (58 percent).
He also received strong support from Democrats, with 85 percent naming him as their most favored president of the 21st century.
Quantus Insights, which is sponsored by the right-leaning Trending Politics site, was ranked as one of the most accurate pollsters in swing states for 2024 by AtlasIntel and listed among Activote’s 20 Most Valuable Pollsters in 2024, Newsweek reported.
Donald Trump backed by 75% Republicans and older rural voters
Donald Trump's second-place finish is largely due to overwhelming support among Republicans and older, rural-leaning voters, as per the poll.
Among Republicans, 75 percent chose him as their favorite 21st-century president, compared to Obama’s 8 percent. Trump also leads among voters aged 65 and above, with 50 percent over Obama’s 36 percent.
White voters were nearly evenly divided, with 43 percent favoring Trump and 41 percent choosing Obama.
Among men, Trump edged close to Obama at 43 percent to 40 percent, while Obama held a wide lead among women.
Trump also drew notable support from non-college voters (39 percent) and trailed Obama by just 11 points among independents—44 percent to 33 percent.
Donald Trump’s historical favorability remains high but current approval slips
Although Donald Trump ranks high in historical favorability, his current approval numbers tell a different story. Quantus Insights reported his net approval rating at -2.
Other polls showed low marks for his second-term performance, driven by controversial decisions like 'Liberation Day' tariffs, military action in Los Angeles against anti-ICE protests, and strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
Even Polls conducted by CNN/SSRS and Reuters/Ipsos in June, soon after Iran strikes, showed how most of the Americans were worried.
Ipsos said Trump's overall approval ratings (41% in June) have mostly remained steady, less than 1 point from 42, but are below the 47%. However, his foreign policy stance fell more sharply, down 4 points to 35%,
The New York Times, however, noted, "the pace of the decline is not unprecedented."
“Voters distinguish between past leadership identity and current performance judgments,” Jason Corley told Newsweek, noting that “favorability is rooted in identity politics, grievance alignment, and movement loyalty,” while approval ratings are “more reactive” to current events.
He added, “This is not mere partisanship. It reflects a deeper loss of faith in national direction, shared across ideological lines.” Quantus pollster Jason Corley explained that pessimism is “particularly strong” among older voters and rural Americans, who remain central to Trump’s support base.
