Bret Baier, host of Fox News program Special Report revealed that an average of RealClearPolitics polls shows that President Donald Trump has a 42.5% rating, which is similar to ratings for both former Presidents Barack Obama (42.5%) and George W. Bush (43.6%) during the same exact point in their second terms. Even better, he had a very large advantage with the party’s approval of him, doing far better than Obama or Bush, potentially hinting that he will be able to turn out enough excited voters in the midterms to hold the House and Senate, as the midterms are reliant on high-propensity voters.
This is a key piece of data because it shows where the president stands as we move closer to the 2026 midterm elections. Even small shifts in approval ratings can indicate a change in public mood and point toward possible outcomes for important races. Operation Epic Fury, a joint strike between America and Israel, could play a huge role in President Trump’s approval rating moving forward, as could his capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.
“The RealClearPolitics average of polls in comparison to other presidents puts him right about the same spot. I mean, he’s, he’s, if you look at the chart there, he’s 42 and a half. That’s where Obama was. You know, Bush had uptick there at 43.6, but roughly where they are. Here is the president walking in on the first year of his second presidency, second year,” Baier said during a segment on the program.
Interestingly, Newsweek is reporting that polling aggregation from CNN’s Harry Enten also reveals that Trump’s approval rating is higher within the Republican Party than both Obama and Bush at this time in their second terms. While commenting on the huge impact President Trump’s endorsements have on candidates running for political office, Enten discussed the big boost the endorsement provides is because Republicans love him.
“Republicans love Donald Trump more than any president’s own party supporters loved them at this particular point,” Enten said. Based on aggregate polling, Enten pointed out that this point in their second terms, Bush had an approval rating of 77% among Republicans, while Obama had 77% among Democrats. Trump, however, has an approval rating among Republicans of 86%
“Trump’s magic touch has not seemed to wear off yet when it comes to the Republican base,” Enten continued. Among GOP voters who “strongly approve” of the president, he once again takes the lead over previous commanders-in-chief with a majority sitting at 53%. Obama had 48% and Bush had 47%. A PRRI survey of 5,143 adults that was conducted between February 10 and 18, 2026, discovered Trump has an 81% approval rating among Republicans.
“Trump’s right: his endorsements are gold in GOP primaries. He’s like a Ruth or Brady for the GOP. Most people he endorses wins, & even most challengers win vs. incumbents. No wonder: Trump has the highest own party approval of any 21st century prez at this point in term 2,” Enten wrote on X. In a social media post featuring the video of Baier’s segment, showed an image of a man wearing a shirt sporting the slogan, “Support the country you live in or live in the country you support,” with a caption that read, “Dear Democrats.”
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Grant Davis Reeher, a professor of political science at Syracuse University, told Newsweek, “One might be tempted to think that these results indicate that on the Republican side, primary candidates who have separated somewhat from the president might fare well, and on the Democratic side, candidates who are the most critical of the president also might fare well. But extrapolating from general approval ratings and other general questions to specific primary results is fraught with problems.”