Former President Donald Trump never had a higher approval rating than he did in Feb. 2020 — at 47% — just days removed from the U.S. Senate acquitting him in first impeachment trial, according to NBC News’ polling.
Likewise, Bill Clinton’s highest approval rating came in Dec. 1998 — 73% — when the Republican-controlled House of Representatives was considering articles of impeachment against him, according to the Gallup poll’s historical data of Clinton’s presidency.
Those data points are instructive as Speaker Kevin McCarthy and House Republicans discuss the possibility of launching an impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden.
Impeachment didn’t hurt Trump’s or Clinton’s approval ratings; instead, their numbers increased during or immediately after the proceedings.
Now, some important caveats: While Trump tied for his all-time high in presidential approval (at 47%) in the Feb. 2020 NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll right after his impeachment trial, his rating hovered in the mid-40s during most of the previous year, so the movement was within the margin of error.
And other factors beyond impeachment can help explain Trump’s and Clinton’s approval increases — including humming economies in 1998 and pre-pandemic 2020, as well as the divided Democratic Party and presidential jockeying to take on Trump in early 2020).
Still, what happened with Trump’s approval rating in the NBC News/WSJ poll is noteworthy. Amid impeachment, Trump’s approval rating among Republicans ticked up to around 90% — after being in the mid-80s for much of 2019.
And among independents, Trump’s approval rating increased to 47% in Jan. 2020 and 51% in Feb. 2020 — after previously being in the 30s.
So during his impeachment, Trump got stronger with his base and with independents. The past is no guarantee, but the numbers are something to think about if House Republicans decide to impeach Biden.
