Donald Trump’s Ratings Peak Since Kamala Harris Entered Race: New Poll

Former President Donald Trump’s favorability ratings bounced back to their highest point since June, before Vice President Kamala Harris entered the presidential race, according to a new Gallup poll.
The Gallup survey found that most Americans view both Trump and Harris favorably less than two months until the presidential race, but that Trump’s favorability has increased since an August Gallup poll.
It found that 46 percent of Americans view Trump favorably, while 53 percent view him unfavorably. The August Gallup poll found that 41 percent view the former president favorably, compared to 55 percent who view him unfavorably.
In the June Gallup poll, with Democratic President Joe Biden still in the race, 52 percent of Americans said they viewed Trump unfavorably, while 46 percent said they viewed him favorably. Gallup did not release favorability numbers for Trump in July.
With Election Day being only 48 days away, Trump and Harris are aiming to win over undecided voters in key swing states. Polls suggest the race remains a tossup, with both Trump and Harris having a chance at winning closely divided battlegrounds on November 5.
The Gallup poll provided the latest insight into how Americans are feeling about the two candidates. While it found that Trump’s favorability rating remained underwater at -7, Harris’ favorability was similar.
Fifty-four percent of respondents said they view Harris unfavorably, compared to 44 percent who said they view her favorably, according to the poll.
Among independents, 44 percent of Americans view Trump favorably, compared to 53 percent who view him unfavorably, according to Gallup. Meanwhile, 35 percent of independents view Harris favorably, while 60 percent view her unfavorably, the poll found.
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The poll surveyed 1,007 Americans from September 3 to September 15, 2024. It has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus four percentage points.
Newsweek reached out to the Trump and Harris campaign for comment via email.
Elsewhere, new polls showed Harris has gained ground against Trump after the two candidates participated in an ABC News debate in Philadelphia last week. A YouGov/The Economist poll, conducted among 1,445 registered voters from September 15 to September 17, showed Harris leading Trump by four points (49 percent to 45 percent).
The YouGov/The Economist poll from before the debate, conducted among 1,464 registered voters from September 8 to 10, found the two tied, each receiving support from 45 percent of voters.
On Wednesday, Trump was set to hold a rally on Long Island, New York, a traditionally blue state Harris is expected to easily win in November; however, Republicans did make some gains in suburban seats outside of New York City in 2022, and these seats could be decisive in the battle for control of Congress.
Independents may be a crucial voting bloc that could determine the outcome of the 2024 presidential race.
According to a CNN exit poll of the 2020 election, independents backed Biden over Trump by a 13-point margin. Fifty-four percent voted for Biden, while 41 percent voted for Trump.
In 2016, Trump narrowly won independents, winning support from 46 percent of them. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, won 42 percent of independents.
Former Pollster Adam Carlson noted in a post to X (formerly Twitter) that the poll is an outlier, as others have shown Harris with a stronger favorability rating than Trump.
“Perhaps Gallup’s picking up on something others aren’t, but for what it’s worth: 1) Avg national fav/unfav (per 538): Harris: 47 / 47 (even) Trump: 43 / 53 (-10) 2) This was conducted among adults, not registered voters or likely voters — an audience among which he does better,” he wrote.
Jake Schnieder, the rapid response director for Team Trump, said the former President “clearly has the momentum” following his “decisive victory in the three-on-one debate.”
“A series of new polls show not only are President Trump’s signature policies backed by large swaths of Americans, he’s also seeing his highest favorability ratings in years as the stark contrast between the two candidates plays out before voters’ eyes,” Schnieder said.
Polls suggest that viewers believed Harris, not Trump, won the debate. A CNN flash poll found that 63 percent of debate viewers believed Harris won the debate, compared to 37 percent who believed Trump won.
Harris and Trump are scheduled to continue holding events in key swing states for the rest of the week. On Thursday, Harris is set to hold an event in Michigan with Oprah Winfrey. On Friday, she will hold a rally in Madison, Wisconsin. Meanwhile, Trump is set to rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Saturday.
Update 09/18/24 1:05 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 09/18/24 1:45 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.