Biden’s preference increases to 55%, Trump’s preference falls to 42%

WASHINGTON, DC – President-elect Joe Biden’s favorability rating has risen six percentage points to 55% since the election compared to its final pre-election reading. At the same time, President Donald Trump’s preference has dropped three points to 42%.

Biden’s current rating is the highest since February 2019, two months before he declared his candidacy for the presidency, when it was 56%. Trump’s latest favorability falls short of the highest of his presidency, 49% in April, during the initial stages of the coronavirus pandemic.

These findings come from a post-election poll conducted Nov. 5-19, a period during which Trump’s legal team questioned the results in several states. The increase in Biden’s preference between Gallup’s pre-election and post-election final reads is driven by independents and Republicans, whose positive Biden ratings grew from 48% to 55% and 6% to 12%, respectively. Nearly unanimous positive ratings from Democrats held steady.

Trump’s slightly lower post-election favorable rating is due more to Republicans than independents or Democrats. The president’s Republican rating fell six points to 89%, while it was essentially unchanged among independents and static among Democrats.

Historical comparisons of candidate preference before and after the election

Since 2000, the favorable ratings of the winning presidential candidate have increased slightly after the elections. In 2000, when George W. Bush wasn’t declared the winner until several weeks after Election Day, neither he nor Al Gore enjoyed an initial post-election coup. However, after the December 12 Supreme Court decision in Bush v. Gore determined that Bush had won reelection, his favoritism increased four points.

Furthermore, since 2000, the winner’s post-election preference reached the majority level in every election except 2016, when Trump was the most unpopular presidential candidate in the history of Gallup polls. Biden’s six-point increase in favorability this year is in line with those of other presidents and presidents-elect.

The pattern for losing presidential candidates is mixed. Some, including John McCain in 2008 and Mitt Romney in 2012, had significantly higher favorable ratings after the election. (McCain showed the biggest increase: 14 points). Hillary Clinton’s favourability was unchanged after the 2016 election, and there is no reading for John Kerry until July 2005, by which time her favourability had dropped 10 points. Trump’s three-point post-election decline is unique in the past six presidential election cycles.

The favorable ratings of the parties are similar

Although American views on the Republican and Democratic parties are not appreciably different from the readings of recent months, the slight advantage that the Democratic Party enjoyed over the Republican Party in September has narrowed. The 45% of American adults who view the Democratic Party favorably is not significantly different from the 43% who have the same opinion of the Republican Party.

The highest recent reading for the Republican Party was 51% in January amid Trump’s impeachment. The Democratic Party has not reached that level since November 2012, after Barack Obama won a second term.

While roughly nine out of 10 Democrats and Republicans have favorable views of their own parties, independents view the Democratic Party more positively than the Republican Party, 41% versus 33%.

View full question responses and trends (PDF download).

Learn more about how the Gallup Poll Social Series works.