A CNN/ORC International survey released Friday indicates that 90% of all Americans approve of how Kennedy handled his job as President. No other President of the last half century even comes close.
Second place belongs to Ronald Reagan, with a 78% retrospective approval rating, followed by Bill Clinton with 74%. Richard Nixon, Kennedy’s 1960 rival and the only president ever forced to resign, is at the bottom with only 31% approving of his track record from 1969 to 1974. Only George W. Bush, with a 42% retrospective approval rating, is also under 50%.
“History has generally been kind to ex-presidents, but none more so than Kennedy. His approval rating in November of 1963 was 58%. In the 1990s, that number rose to 78% and rose even further in later years,” said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member