Americans Rank Joe Biden Lowest Among Living Presidents In New Favorability Poll

by Angie SchlagerFebruary 12, 2025, 12:40 amNews >

According to a Gallup poll released on Tuesday, Joe Biden has the lowest favorability rating among all living presidents. Surveyed Americans viewed former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton more favorably than not, with Obama ranking the highest. Fifty percent ranked Donald Trump unfavorably.

The poll by Gallup surveyed 1,001 American adults from Jan. 21-27 with a 4% margin of error.

Biden, the lowest ranked, was viewed favorably by 39% of surveyed Americans. 57% viewed him unfavorably. Amid the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, Biden’s approval rating sank to 43%. The former president’s approval rating sank to an all-time low of 36% in July 2024, when the war in Gaza was nearing a full year.

When he entered the White House in 2021, Biden had high approval ratings of 57%. The average rating of his four-year term sat historically low at 42.2%, just slightly above the average approval for Trump during his first term with a rating of 41.1%. After dropping out of the 2024 presidential election, Biden climbed to a 45% approval rating. Upon exiting the Oval Office, Biden’s approval rating dropped back to 36%.

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Bush has seen a decrease in favorability since he held office, which sources attribute to America’s unfamiliarity with his presidency. Fewer people view Clinton as unfavorable and say that his image has improved, while more have no opinion of him.

In 2017, separate polls from The Washington Post/ABC and CNN/ORC found Obama with 60% approval. His 57% favorability ranking demonstrates that opinions of him have remained steady since leaving office.

Though he ranked 50% unfavorable, Trump was viewed more favorably than he was in his first term. His approval rating plummeted to 34% at the end of his first presidency, according to a 2017 poll by CNN. Since his 2025 inauguration, Trump has been given a 53% approval rating by Americans, according to a CBS News/YouGov poll conducted Feb. 5 to 7.