Given America’s highly polarized political landscape, incumbent President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have both faced underwhelming approval ratings. However, in a presidency, the First Lady often enjoys a much higher approval rating than their husbands, given the lack of visibility and the noncontroversial nature of being the president’s wife.
However, based on recent polls, this trend may be a thing of the past, having also been affected by the current polarization in American politics. Looking at favorability ratings between former First Lady Melania Trump and First Lady Jill Biden, it is clear that Melania’s approval rating is notably higher.
A poll conducted by YouGov late last year discovered that 31 percent of respondents say first lady Jill Biden is “poor” or “below average,” compared to only 25 percent who said she is “outstanding” and another 28 percent who described her as “average.”
Recent polls indicate that President Biden’s wife has declined in popularity over time. Just six months into Biden’s term, a poll conducted by CNN determined that approximately 29 percent viewed Jill Biden as unfavorable, while 46 percent had a favorable opinion of her. Although her disapproval rating didn’t change a year later, the number of Americans who said they viewed Jill Biden favorably plummeted to 34 percent.
In contrast, Melania’s approval ratings tell a different story. Donald Trump’s wife entered the White House with a low approval rating, which was 36 percent before her husband’s inauguration. Despite this, the former First Lady quickly gained in popularity with the American public, where only one month into Trump’s first term, her favorability rating increased 16 points to 52 percent.
As Trump’s time in the White House continued, her favorability increased. Roughly midway through the term, Melania attended the funeral of the late Barbara Bush, where she experienced her highest favorability at approximately 57 percent. However, this number would eventually fall through the tail end of the Trump presidency, landing at 42 percent when she left the White House.
Despite Melania’s departing approval rating being the lowest of any First Lady at the end of a term, it still sits higher than Jill Biden’s November 2023 rating. Time will only tell what that figure will be when Biden eventually leaves office.
The American Tribune recently reported on updates from President Trump on Melania’s role in his campaign. “She wants to see this country really succeed. She loves the country.” Trump said. “Melania is a brilliant person. Her life revolves around Barron and the success of our country.”
“You know, a lot of first ladies would go out — they want to be everywhere. They get angry at their husband because he’s not introducing them. If I didn’t introduce Melania, she’d be very happy about it. She’s just a different kind of a person,” Trump added.
The former president continued applauding his wife for her love and dedication to America, stating, “And she loves the country. She’s going to be out a lot, but she does it for the good of the country, not for her. She’s somebody with a lot of confidence. She doesn’t need that.”
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