538: Trump Is The Most Unpopular President Since Ford To Run For Reelection

[Quixote1818]

Observation: Bush got re-elected by the skin of his teeth with an approval rating of 48.4. Trump has never been close to that at 538



Now that the 2020 election has gone from “next year” to “this year,” it’s worth taking a step back and asking a question that we first posed in early 2017: How popular is Donald Trump? After all, a president’s job approval rating can be predictive of his reelection chances, especially as November draws closer.

On Jan. 1, 42.6 percent of Americans approved of President Trump’s job performance, according to FiveThirtyEight’s presidential approval tracker (52.9 percent disapproved). That’s a pretty typical number for Trump (although it’s worth noting that, since Jan. 1, the U.S. and Iran have taken actions that could shake Trump’s approval rating loose from that anchor), but ominously for the president, that’s the second-lowest FiveThirtyEight average approval rating of any recent1 president on the first day of their reelection year. Only Gerald Ford (39.3 percent on Jan. 1, 1976) was less popular — and, of course, Ford lost that campaign to Jimmy Carter.

More: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/trump-is-the-most-unpopular-president-since-ford-to-run-for-reelection/

[stopdiggin]

1. and it is now our duty, as loyal Democrats

to nominate a candidate that is more feared and less popular ...
- -

[CaptYossarian]

4. Ford was never feared. His issue was Nixon's pardon. He was doomed.

[stopdiggin]

5. a bit tongue in cheek

the 538 article never mentions fear either.
that was my brilliant addition.

[CaptYossarian]

6. I'm old enough to remember that era.

I remember the August 9, 1974 episode of Good Morning America reporting what Ford had for breakfast on his first day in the WH. That seemed odd then, but would fit right in with the shallow infotainment that infests our "news" today.

I also remember the Swine Flu vaccines and the WIN buttons (Whip Inflation Now). Not much else happened in his 2-year term. He pretty much had to start campaigning for '76 soon after.

[stopdiggin]

8. Gerald Ford was a decent man

can we still say that about Republicans on DU?
Who was forever tied to, and stained by, the legacy of "the crook" .. (however fairly or unfairly)
May we perhaps hope that something of a similar "stain" will play a factor in today's politics as well?

[CaptYossarian]

9. After his presidency, he did an ad promoting Boy Scouts.

His final line after talking about society's problems back then, "Boy, do we need Boy Scouts!"

[Marie Marie]

2. Well then, his path is clear - CHEAT!

Involve foreign nations, purge the voter roles, hack the voting systems - he will do whatever he can to cheat his way to a second term.

[SWBTATTReg]

3. And Ford was an abnormal factor too, being that he was elevated into office when Nixon left...

I suspect rump IS the most unpopular president to run.

[llmart]

7. Another best for the Dump!

Worst President in history. I want to see that headline.