Poll: Voters Admit Donald Trump’s Presidency Was ‘Better than Expected’

Many voters admit that former President Donald Trump’s presidency was “better than expected,” while more say the opposite of President Joe Biden, rating his presidency as “worse than expected,” according to the latest NBC News poll.

NBC News asked respondents to rate both the Biden administration and the Trump administration. Overall, a plurality, 40 percent, rated Trump’s administration as “better than expected.” Another 31 percent said it was “about as expected,” and 29 percent said “worse than expected.”

Biden receives far worse ratings, as only 14 percent rated his administration as performing “better than expected,” while 42 percent rated it “worse than expected.” Another 44 percent said it is “about as expected.”

President Joe Biden (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

For Trump, these results reflect a significant boost; people seem to have a higher view of his administration in retrospect. When asked to rate his administration in 2018, 29 percent said it was “better than expected,” compared to 40 percent who hold that view now. At that time, 43 percent said it was going “as expected.”

Perhaps what is most telling is that Biden’s poor ratings come from dissatisfaction among Democrats.

Per NBC News:

Biden’s lower marks come in part from disappointment from inside his own party. While 52% of Democrats say his administration has met expectations, 30% say it has been better than they expected, and 18% said it has been worse. Trump inspires more enthusiastic Republican loyalty, with 80% of his party saying his administration was better than expected and just 6% saying it was worse. Another 24% of Republicans say Trump’s tenure was about as expected.

Trump also performs far better among independents, as 52 percent said Biden’s administration is “worse than expected,” compared to 18 percent who said Trump’s was “worse than expected.” Thirty-eight percent of independents said Trump’s administration was “better than expected,” but only six percent said the same of Biden’s:

Those who said Trump’s presidency was better pointed to several narratives, including the economy, foreign policy, better jobs, and feeling more secure.

The NBC News poll was taken January 26-30, 2024, among 1,000 registered voters. It has a +/- 3.1 percent margin of error and coincides with the emerging theme of polls showing Trump besting Biden not only nationally but in key swing states as well.