As Barack Obama opens his presidential center, he does so as by far the most popular living president.
Obama is viewed positively by 57% of Americans, a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS finds, far surpassing the ratings for his two Oval Office successors. Only 34% of the public offers a favorable opinion of President Donald Trump, with former President Joe Biden’s favorability trailing at just 30%.
Obama’s standing among political independents is more than twice as high as either Biden’s or Trump’s. Unlike Biden or Trump, he also has the near-universal backing of his own party.
And though only about one-fifth of Republicans take a positive view of Obama, that’s still far above the share of Americans willing to cross party lines in support of his successors.
Other members of the presidents’ club see their ratings fall somewhere between Obama on the one side and Biden and Trump on the other. Views of George W. Bush tilt narrowly positive, 42% favorable to 33% unfavorable, while opinions of Bill Clinton are about equally split.
