Former President Donald Trump’s favorability rating is in much better shape than every national political figure, including those the corporate media spend billions of dollars to protect.
What’s key about “favorability” is that it’s basically a “likability” poll. A winning favorability rating means the public likes you, which can be even more important than your job approval ratings. A good example is Barack Obama.
People liked the guy more than they approved of the job he did. It was one of those things that allowed his approval ratings to sometimes defy gravity.
What’s so fascinating about Trump — and I’ll get to the specific numbers in a bit — is that for the last five years, the corporate media have spent billions of dollars smearing the guy as a racist, sexist, predator, Russian puppet… And it’s not working.
Pro-Trump merchandise is displayed before a rally featuring former President Donald Trump at the Florence Regional Airport on March 12, 2022 in Florence, South Carolina. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
What’s also interesting is that Trump can oftentimes be his own worst enemy regarding likability. This is a very smart and charming guy who can also be petty, childish, obsessed with things that don’t matter, and entirely too abrasive for what many people see as the role of a president or even a former president.
Nevertheless, he’s wiping the floor with the media-approved politicians, at least for right now.
Here are the averages per the RealClearPolitics poll of polls…
Favorable / Unfavorable / Spread
- Trump: 45 / 50.6 / -5.6
- Biden: 42.5 / 52.8 / -10.3
- Harris: 36.5 / 56 / -15.5
- McConnell: 24.3 / 57.8 / -33.5
- McCarthy: 23.7 / 40.3 / -16.6
- Pelosi: 34.4 / 56.6 / -22.2
- Schumer: 29 / 46.0 / -17.7
Keep in mind these are averages. This is not some outlier poll. Currently, Trump has the highest favorable rating and is only -5.6 points underwater. The closest to him is His Fraudulency Joe Biden, who nearly doubles that number with -10.3 points underwater.
There are several factors at work here… First, Trump’s 2024 campaign slogan could simply be, “Had Enough?” The comparison between the prosperous and peaceful Trump years, especially the first three years, to the 24/7 horror we’re living through under Biden is striking and undeniable.
Secondly, Trump’s hold on the GOP base is unlike anything I have ever seen in modern politics. Even Ronald Reagan, one of the greatest presidents in history, did not win this kind of loyalty. All over, I still see Trump signs and flags everywhere. It’s uncanny and unprecedented.
The third issue is the most worrisome. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. So what would these numbers look like if Trump still had access to social media? What would these numbers look like if he still dominated the news cycle every day, especially with non-stop tweets about “rigging” the 2020 election?
And what will these numbers look like if and when Trump is out there every day during the 2024 campaign being Trump?
People react after listening to former U.S. President Donald Trump speak during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at The Rosen Shingle Creek on February 26, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Nothing’s going to change the guy. It’s a waste of time to try. But that his sometimes off-putting personality can overwhelm his charm, genius, and excellent record is just a fact of life in Trump Land.
If Trump would simply tone down the abrasive side of his personality from 11 to, say, 7.5, he really could be president for life.
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