Poll: Donald Trump’s Favorability Soars over Mitch McConnell

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., walks to the chamber as Congress returns fo
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File, AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
Hannah Knudsen

Former President Trump has a significantly higher favorable rating than Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) a recent Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll found.

The survey provided a list of high profile figures across the board in politics and found Trump standing at the top in terms of favorability, garnering 46 percent.

That is higher than every other figure featured on the list, which includes President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), and more. 

McConnell’s favorable figures are toward the bottom half of the list, garnering a 25 percent favorable rating — 21 points lower than Trump’s. Further, Trump’s unfavorable rating is 47 percent, giving him a net negative of -1. However, half, or 50 percent, have an unfavorable view of McConnell, giving him one of the highest net negative approvals on the list at -25. Only one individual on the list, Russian President Vladimir Putin, saw a higher net negative rating. 

The only high profile figures listed who came close to Trump’s favorable rating were Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Elon Musk, both of whom saw a 45 percent favorable rating. Both have a net positive rating as well — +14 and +8, respectively. 

The survey was taken December 14-16, 2022, among 1,851 registered voters.

Trump has not remained shy when it comes to his opinions on McConnell, telling Glenn Beck in November that Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) “would be much better” as GOP leader than the 80-year-old politician:

“Well, I think he’s got a lot of pressure,” Trump said. “He’s his wife is a big person for Chinese investment, and his family and him in China. I don’t think that’s appropriate. No, I think Rick Scott would be much better than McConnell.”

McConnell, meanwhile, has thrown shade at Trump. After the debacle at Mar-a-Lago involving Kanye West and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes, the latter of whom Trump said he knew nothing about, McConnell stated that anyone who meets with those who hold anti-semitic or white supremacist views are “unlikely” to be elected president.

Trump wholly denounced Fuentes in an exclusive interview with Breitbart News, found here. 

McConnell is also playing the blame game, asserting that Trump is to blame — at least in part —  for a lack of “candidate quality” in the midterm elections. 

“Our ability to control primary outcome was quite limited in ’22 because of the support of the former president proved to be very decisive in these primaries, so my view was do the best you can with the cards you’re dealt,” McConnell said:

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