Despite always headlining one controversy after another, Donald Trump has managed to maintain a dedicated following, as evidenced by his ranking in a recent poll. In the study, which ranked recent Presidents according to their popularity among citizens, Trump managed to secure third place, trailing his Democratic counterpart Barack Obama and his fellow Republican leader Ronald Reagan.
New poll shows Donald Trump places third in favorability among US presidents
A study released on June 10 revealed that Barack Obama was the most favorable President of recent times among Americans.
The Pew Research Center poll, which surveyed 10,357 US adults between November 17 and November 30, 2025, listed Presidents according to the public outlook of who had done the best job over the past 40 years.
Across all Americans, Obama came out on top, securing 36 percent of the votes. Ronald Reagan, who served in the Oval Office from 1981 to 1989, secured the second rank with 21 percent, with Donald Trump finishing in third place at 19 percent in the poll.
While the bulk of Obama’s supporters hailed from the left-leaning faction, the Republicans showcased more division in their choice, backing both Trump and Reagan. The most conservative blocs participating in the survey primarily rallied behind the current US president, with Reagan drawing support from the more moderate section of the Republicans.
However, the survey ditched the traditional two-party category system and instead classified the participants across nine different sects. The far-right categories included groups like ‘No Apologies Right’ and ‘Faith First Conservatives,’ the left ones had groups like ‘Loyal Liberals’ and ‘Leftward Progressives.’
As such, 63 percent of the ‘No Apologies Right’ faction labeled Donald Trump as the best President of the past 40 years in the poll, with 90 percent approving of his job performance. He also scored big numbers from the ‘Faith First Conservatives’ group, with 52 percent choosing him as their top President of recent times.
Interestingly, contrary to the Pew Research Centre’s study, a recent poll conducted in late May indicated a record low approval rating for Trump.
Originally reported by Apoorv Rastogi on Mandatory.
