Hypothetical 2028 showdown between Trump and Obama reveals jaw-dropping results in new poll

A Daily Mail/JL Partners survey invited voters to envision a hypothetical presidential showdown between Donald Trump and Barack Obama
PUBLISHED JUL 30, 2025
A recent poll revealed that if Barack Obama and Donald Trump faced off in a hypothetical third-term race, the outcome would be a landslide (Getty Images)
A recent poll revealed that if Barack Obama and Donald Trump faced off in a hypothetical third-term race, the outcome would be a landslide (Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC: A new poll has found that if Barack Obama and Donald Trump ever went toe-to-toe for a mythical third term, the results wouldn’t even be close.

The latest Daily Mail/JL Partners poll asked voters to imagine the ultimate presidential fantasy face-off, Trump vs Obama. The results showed that Obama would mop the floor with Trump, pulling in 52% of the vote to the latter’s 41%.

Nostalgia, demographics give Barack Obama edge over Donald Trump in hypothetical matchup

It’s an 11-point drubbing, and Barack Obama can thank Hispanic and Black voters for giving him the edge. A whopping 73% of Hispanic voters chose Obama, while 68% of Black voters said they’d ride with No. 44 once more.

It’s not just voters of color backing him. Independents also gave Obama the nod, with 50% supporting him compared to just 39% for Donald Trump.

This could be a case of presidential nostalgia. Former commanders-in-chief often appear more favorable once they're out of the political spotlight. In Obama’s case, a solid 59% of voters have a favorable view of him, while only 35% view him unfavorably.

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 03: U.S. President Barack Obama waves to reporters after returning to the
Barack Obama waves to reporters after returning to the White House on board Marine One September 3, 2015, in Washington, DC (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Trump, however, isn’t receiving the same affection. His favorability sits at 44%, and he’s underwater on job approval, 49% approve, but 51% disapprove of his performance in office.

Still, don’t count Trump out against other opponents. The same poll shows he’d beat Hillary Clinton again, 44% to 43%. He’d also top Joe Biden, 44% to 40%.

Donald Trump hints at third term ambitions despite constitutional limits

Of course, no one is allowed to run for a third term. The 22nd Amendment, passed in 1951, made sure of that.

Regardless, Donald Trump has been flirting with the idea in interviews. Back in March, he told NBC News, “I’m not joking… But I’m not, it is far too early to think about it.” Asked how he’d pull it off, he said, “There are methods by which you could do it.”

“I’d love that… That would be a good one,” Trump told Fox News reporter Peter Doocy. “I’d like that. And no, people are asking me to run, and there’s a whole story about running for a third term. I don’t know, I never looked into it. They do say there’s a way you can do it, but I don’t know about that.”

Some MAGA diehards have also speculated whether Trump could secure another term if JD Vance were to win in 2028, name Trump as his veep, and then resign. 

Barack Obama's third-term musings resurface amid new poll

It's worth noting that Barack Obama has also mused about a secret third term of his own. “I actually think I’m a pretty good president. I think if I ran, I could win,” he quipped during a 2015 speech in Ethiopia. “There’s a lot that I’d like to do to keep America moving. But the law is the law, and no person is above the law, not even the president.”

In 2020, Obama hinted once again that he’d be open to it.

“You know what? If I could make an arrangement where I had a stand-in, a front man or front woman, and they had an earpiece in and I was just in my basement in my sweats looking through the stuff… I’d be fine with that,” he said during an interview with Stephen Colbert. 



 

Some conservatives argue that’s exactly what happened with Biden, portraying him as an Obama puppet guided by an earpiece and a teleprompter.

The latest poll that fueled the Oval Office fantasy matchup was conducted from July 9 to July 10 with 1,013 registered voters. The margin of error was ±3.1%, according to the Daily Mail.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.

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