Twice as Many Republicans Say Trump Is the ‘Best President’ Ever Over Reagan

President Donald Trump gestures during the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Dec. 21, 2019. Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images

A new poll among Republicans showed that former President Donald Trump was chosen over former President Ronald Reagan as the “best president” ever.

In a new Economist/YouGov survey, 36 percent of Republicans called Trump the best, while 18 percent called Reagan the same, 13 percent called President Abraham Lincoln the best, and 11 percent said the same for President George Washington.

Republicans chose Reagan over Trump 36 percent to 10 percent in 2018, according to the poll.

“The change in GOP rankings since 2018, when the last survey was conducted, is striking. In 2018, Republicans ranked Reagan first (36 percent), followed by Trump (10 percent). Now, the positions are reversed, with the percentage of Republicans who name Trump as the best President ever having tripled to 36 percent, twice the number who still choose Ronald Reagan (18 percent),” according to the survey.

The poll is the latest data point that suggests Trump remains enormously popular among Republicans.

On Feb. 11, a CBS News poll revealed that 70 percent of Republicans would consider joining a new Trump-led political party. Thirty-three percent of Republicans participating in the survey, conducted between Feb. 5 and Feb. 8, said they would join a Trump-led breakaway party. Another 37 percent said “maybe” they would join the new party, while the remaining 30 percent said they would stay with the Republican Party.

The survey was conducted during Trump’s second impeachment trial, which ultimately led to his acquittal. Seven Republican senators voted to convict the former president, while Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) blamed Trump for the riots but voted to acquit him.

McConnell, however, appeared to go a step further and suggested Trump may face criminal prosecution or a civil lawsuit.

The House impeached the former president last month for allegedly inciting violence on Jan. 6. Trump, for his part, called on protesters to “peacefully and patriotically make [their] voices heard” during a rally. House Democrats later argued that Trump was singlehandedly responsible for the riots and described it as an “insurrection.”

And it appears the former president may try to capitalize on his popularity. In a strongly-worded statement on Tuesday, Trump said the Senate will not be able to win more seats with McConnell at the helm, suggesting that he would attempt to primary candidates in favor of those who support his agenda.

“McConnell’s dedication to business as usual, status quo policies, together with his lack of political insight, wisdom, skill, and personality, has rapidly driven him from Majority Leader to Minority Leader, and it will only get worse,” Trump says in a statement.

GQ Pan contributed to this report.