There are a lot of people who are curious about presidential approval ratings. It is important to understand that the presidential approval rating can vary from time to time while someone is in office. Therefore, when taking a look at historical presidential approval ratings, it is usually viewed as the final approval rating when someone leaves office. It can also vary, as historical perspectives can change.
In general, there are two recent presidents who stand out from the crowd regarding final presidential approval ratings. The highest final presidential approval rating in history belongs to Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton had an estimated final approval rating of approximately 66 percent when he left office, despite some of the personal issues that he had to deal with. He also presided over one of the largest economic expansions in US history, which is why he is generally placed at the top of the list. The other modern president to have a historically high approval rating is Ronald Reagan. He was elected president twice, with two of the largest landslide victories in US history. When he left office, he had a final approval rating of approximately 63 percent. These polls only go back to the end of World War Two, so it is difficult to estimate what older presidential approval
When taking a look at modern presidents, there are a few presidents who had very high disapproval ratings. Without a doubt, the highest disapproval rating belongs to Richard Nixon. He had a disapproval rating of approximately 66 percent and an approval rating of 24 percent. Even though he is widely seen as opening up China, which was an isolationist country at the time, he also orchestrated the Watergate scandal. It was also surprising because he did not need to go through this type of effort to win re-election. Because he was impeached and had to resign from the office of President, he is widely seen as the president with the lowest approval rating.
There are a few other Presidents that have had very low approval ratings. For example, Donald Trump had an approval rating of approximately 34 percent when he left office. Even though he is the most recent president to leave office, it remains to be seen just how low his approval rating will be, given his involvement in the insurrection at the Capitol.
Jimmy Carter also had a very low approval rating. Even though he is the founder of Habitat for Humanity, he had an approval rating of 34 percent, and he only served one term. A significant portion of his low approval rating likely comes from his failure with the Iran hostage crisis, which was ultimately resolved by Ronald Reagan. Some of the other presidents that have very low approval ratings include George Bush Jr. (George W. Bush) and Harry S. Truman. It remains to be seen where Joe Biden will stand.