Trump Favorability Below Democratic Rival for First Time in 13 Months: Poll

Former President Donald Trump’s favorability rating is lower than his Democratic rival for the first time in over a year, according to a new Gallup poll.

The survey of 1,015 adults conducted from August 1 to August 20 found that Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, has a 41 percent favorability rating, a 5-percentage point drop from Gallup’s June poll.

Trump’s rating also trails the mark of his Democratic presidential opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, who has a 47 percent favorability rating, according to the poll. Harris’ favorability appears to have risen significantly since she entered the race following President Joe Biden’s exit in late July. The June Gallup poll had her favorability 13 percent lower, at 34 percent.

The survey broke down her favorability among parties, revealing that Harris has a 93 percent approval rating among Democrats and 41 percent among independents. The percentage of Republicans who view her favorably, 5 percent, did not change from June to August.

According to Gallup’s polling, this is Trump’s first dip below his Democratic challenger since July 2023, when he was tied with Biden at 41 percent favorability. The poll found that 55 percent of surveyed adults have an unfavorable opinion of Trump, with this sentiment largely comprised of Democrats and independents: 94 percent of Democrats, 57 percent of independents, and only 12 percent of Republicans expressed an unfavorable view of the former president.

Newsweek reached out to the campaigns of Trump and Harris for comment via email on Thursday.

The Gallup poll found Trump’s favorability to be just above Biden’s, who since exiting the race on July 21, has increased in favorability, from 37 percent in July to 40 percent in August. Biden is viewed unfavorable by 59 percent, according to the poll. Trump and Biden are viewed favorably by over 80 percent of their own respective parties.

However, aggregate polling from FiveThirtyEight reveals the opposite of Gallup’s, showing that Trump’s favorability tops Harris’ rating. As of Thursday, it finds Trump to have a 42.9 percent favorability rating, and Harris with 41.3 percent.

Another aggregate poll, from The Hill, shows Trump with an even larger favorability percentage, at 44.6 percent. The aggregate also finds a boost for Harris, with a 50.8 percent favorability rating as of Thursday.

Favorability polling provides a “temperature check” on how the population might vote; however, the popular vote does not necessarily translate to the 270 Electoral College votes needed to clinch the White House.

State polls, especially swing and battleground states, are often more reflective of how a candidate might secure the necessary votes to win the White House. Recent polls indicate Trump and Harris are in a near deadlock in battleground states, despite Harris polling better in several national aggregate polls.