In Gallup's polling history, George W. Bush holds the record for the highest presidential approval rating at the nine-month mark, with a 76% approval rating in September 2001. This was following the September 11 terrorist attacks, and it was a sharp increase from his approval rating earlier in the year.
For comparison, here is how other presidents' approval ratings at or around the nine-month point of their first term stack up:
- George W. Bush (2001): 76% in September 2001.
- George H. W. Bush (1989): 70% in September 1989.
- Barack Obama (2009): 52% in September 2009.
- Ronald Reagan (1981): 52% in September 1981.
- Bill Clinton (1993): 50% in September 1993.
- Joe Biden (2021): 43% in September 2021.
- Donald Trump (2017): 37% in September 2017.
