Former President Donald Trump is now seen positively by a plurality of Americans, making him one of the most positively thought of public figures in the country. Trump’s high ratings are joined by others, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk and independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy.
The results are part of the newest Harvard-Harris poll. When asked about favorability, Trump had a positive rating, with 49% seeing him positively and 48% seeing him negatively.
The news was far worse for President Joe Biden. Among the general public, just 43% see him positively, while 53% disagree.
In addition to the positive general election news, Trump has a better net favorability rating than his primary rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. DeSantis has a negative 1% net favorability rating.
Kennedy has one of the best ratings of all of those polled. The environmental activist received a net positive rating of 18%. Among the general public, 49% see him positively, while 31% view him negatively.
Musk, who also heads X, formerly known as Twitter, is seen positively by 49% of Americans, while 37% disagree.
One of the most popular figures in the poll is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu, who has received a significant increase in profile since the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack, was viewed positively by 36% of Americans, with 26% seeing him negatively.
The positive favorability numbers come at a time of other strong poll results for the former president. Trump now leads in most national general election polls against Biden, both in one-on-one and multiple-candidate races.
Furthermore, Trump’s high rankings come in part due to a surge of support among independents.
2024 GE: Independents (Fox News Poll)
Oct. 2020
(D) Biden: 54% (+22)
(R) Trump: 32%Dec. 2023
(R) Trump: 50% (+12)
(D) Biden: 38% https://t.co/ZATwfrvenB pic.twitter.com/VAJJxErs6o— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) December 17, 2023
A recent Fox News poll found Trump with a 4% lead over Biden, grabbing 50% of the overall vote. In addition, among independents, Trump now leads by 12%, with a margin of 50%-38%. In October 2020, Fox News reported that 54% of independents were backing Biden, while 32% supported Trump.
