President-elect Donald Trump has managed to score an early victory following his resounding win over Vice President Kamala Harris as he continues transitioning into the White House ahead of his formal January 20 inauguration.
Following his victory in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Donald Trump quickly began asserting his influence. Within days, he called both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to push for a resolution to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He also intervened publicly to block a bloated, Democrat-friendly spending bill he opposed as Congress faced the prospect of a government shutdown.
Trump’s transition team and potential Cabinet members have underscored their preparedness to initiate action immediately, presenting an ambitious plan to tackle a wide array of issues.
Trump and his allies argue that the Republican sweep of the White House and both chambers of Congress gives the president-elect a clear mandate to advance his agenda.
Most Americans agree, apparently: A Gallup poll released on December 27 revealed that Trump enters the new year with a positive approval rating. According to the poll, 51% of Americans approve of how he is managing his transition into power, while 44% disapprove.
Gallup noted that Trump’s approval rating during his 2016 transition was equal to his disapproval rating, making the latest poll an improvement in many areas. However, the pollster highlighted that “all incoming presidents since Bill Clinton had transition approval ratings of at least 61 percent,” with disapproval ratings trailing by 30 points or more.
But those presidents did not enter office with a country as bitterly divided as it has been since Trump’s surprise 2016 victory — divisiveness that has been fueled by entrenched interests in Washington, D.C., and the so-called “uniparty” swamp.
A key difference in Trump’s more positive approval rating this time is stronger support among Republicans, with 97% approving of his transition compared to 86% in 2016.
However, a major factor dampening his overall numbers is the opposition party’s view. Gallup observed that before 2016, about half of opposition party supporters typically approved of a president-elect’s transition. Both Trump and Biden have since faced significant declines in those figures, with Trump’s approval among Democrats now below 20%, Newsweek reported, citing the polling data.
“The American people reelected President Trump by a resounding margin giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail. He will deliver,” Trump-Vance Transition Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said earlier this month.
Added former Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio: “The Dems got pinned as the status quo party on inflation, instability, insecurity, and every other issue facing working people. Trump was the change candidate in a year when 65 percent of people thought we were on the wrong track.”
