A couple of weeks after Donald Trump’s election victory, CBS News released the results of an unexpected national poll. The survey, conducted by the network and YouGov, found that 59% of Americans approved of the Republican president-elect’s transition process — a surprisingly high number for a candidate who didn’t quite reach 50% of the popular vote two weeks earlier.
It was not, however, the only recent poll on Trump’s post-election transition. The latest Marist poll, for example, found that 47% of the public approves of the Republican’s post-election efforts, which dovetailed with the results of the latest national survey from CNN. The network reported:
Most Americans expect President-elect Donald Trump to do a good job upon his return to the White House next month (54%) and a majority approves of how he’s handling the presidential transition so far (55%), according to a new CNN Poll conducted by SSRS.
At first blush, this might seem bizarre given the shambolic state of the incoming president’s transition process, which has suffered a series of embarrassing setbacks. Indeed, Trump’s first choice for attorney general was forced to withdraw in the face of bipartisan opposition; his first choice to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration was pushed out after just three days; and the Republican demoted his choice for White House counsel before he even started.
Meanwhile, the Republican has chosen highly controversial and manifestly unqualified people for a variety of powerful positions — the Pentagon, the Health and Human Service Department, the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, etc. — and it’s an open question as to whether they’ll make it through the Senate confirmation process.
There have also been avoidable controversies surrounding unnecessary tariff threats, a Trump aide who was accused by his colleagues of influence peddling, and the president-elect’s weird jokes about Canada becoming a state.
By any fair measure, this has been among the most shambolic presidential transitions in modern history, which makes it all the more baffling to see many Americans expressing their approval.
There is, however, another angle to this that Trump and his allies might not like. CNN has been conducting related polling in recent decades, and its report on the latest survey data highlighted a key detail:
- In 2008, 79% approved of Barack Obama’s presidential transition.
- In 2000, 66% approved of George W. Bush’s presidential transition.
- In 2020, 65% approved of Joe Biden’s presidential transition.
- In 1992, 62% approved of Bill Clinton’s presidential transition.
- And in 2024, 55% approve of Trump’s presidential transition.
To be sure, at this point eight years ago, 46% approved of Trump’s first transition period, and he’s apparently improved on that figure. But before the Republican trumpets CNN’s findings, it’s important to emphasize the fact that every other recent president has enjoyed stronger pre-inaugural support than Trump.
