Trump Claims He Could Defeat Obama and Discusses Popularity

President Donald Trump expressed confidence in his ability to defeat former President Barack Obama in a hypothetical election face-off, describing Obama as “highly overrated.” During an interview with Stephen A. Smith on the podcast Straight Shooter, Trump pointed to his record-breaking votes, asserting, “I got many more votes than he got. And I got many more votes in the states… I have most of the state records of the big states. If you take a look at Texas, I have the all-time record, Florida I have the all-time record.”

When Smith questioned whether Trump believed he could surpass Obama, Trump affirmed, “Yeah, I think I’d beat him easily, yeah. I think he’s highly overrated.”

In the 2024 presidential election, Trump secured victories in swing states and won the popular vote with 77,304,290 votes, surpassing Vice President Kamala Harris, who garnered 75,019,761 votes. Back in the 2012 election, Obama won against Republican Mitt Romney with 62,611,250 votes compared to Romney’s 59,134,475.

Trump’s comments to Smith followed substantial Republican losses in the midterms, resulting in Democratic control of both the House and Senate. Despite these setbacks, Trump partially attributed the Democratic wins to the conflict in Iran, maintaining that he would make the same decisions again.

In a parallel scenario, Democrats also faced midterm defeats in 2010 under Obama’s leadership. Newsweek reached out to Barack and Michelle Obama’s office for their views via an online portal.

Trump’s Opinion on Obama’s Presidency

Expressing his view on Obama’s presidency to Smith, Trump stated, “I just think, that’s just my opinion, I think he’s overrated. I didn’t think he was a good president, I thought he was a divider.” When asked how he’d define his own leadership, Trump answered, “as a person that brings people together.”

During the 2024 presidential elections, Trump achieved 6,110,125 votes in Florida, compared to Harris’ 4,683,038, as per data from the Florida Department of State Division of Elections. In 2012, Obama received 4,237,756 votes in Florida, while Romney obtained 4,163,447. Historical voting records show Trump gained the highest votes for a presidential nominee in Florida.

Similarly, in Texas, Trump gathered 6,393,597 votes, outpacing Harris’ 4,835,250 in the 2024 elections. In 2012, Obama secured 3,294,440 votes in Texas against Romney’s 4,555,799. Historical data indicates Trump scored the highest votes for any presidential nominee in Texas. Texas remains a Republican stronghold, and Florida has gradually aligned with the GOP for presidential races.

Robert Collins, a public policy professor at Dillard University, commented to Newsweek, “This is clearly just President Trump throwing red meat to his base. Given the president currently has a national job approval rating in the 30s, no rational observer believes he could beat Obama in a head-to-head matchup right now.” Collins also addressed Trump’s past mentions of running for a third term, stating that no constitutional scholars see a legal path for a third term for Trump.

In the Smith interview, Trump also discussed Iran, collaborations with Democrats during his remaining term, gasoline prices, immigration policy, and his legacy.

Comparison of Trump and Obama’s Approval Ratings

A CNN-SSRS poll earlier this year revealed that 57 percent of respondents had a favorable view of Obama, while 32 percent did not. In comparison, Trump had a 34 percent favorability rating, with 55 percent holding an unfavorable view. The poll also explored which president is more admired, with Obama leading at 30 percent, followed by Trump at 19 percent. The data was gathered from May 7 to May 31 among 2,480 participants, carrying a margin of error of 2.7 percent.

A Pew Research Center study in 2026 ranked recent presidents, with 36 percent recognizing Obama as the best. Thirteen percent ranked him second, culminating in a total of 49 percent. Meanwhile, 19 percent named Trump as the best, with 12 percent placing him second, totaling 31 percent. This survey included 8,512 participants from January 20-26.

Recently, a YouGov/Economist poll showed Trump’s approval rating at 32 percent with a disapproval rating of 63 percent. The poll, conducted with 1,685 U.S. citizens from November 9 to November 11, featured a margin of error of 3 percent.

For context, a similar November 2010 poll after the midterm elections showed Obama with 42 percent approval and 49 percent disapproval, according to YouGov/Economist data.

Newsweek’s editors and reporters utilized Martyn, an AI assistant, in compiling this story. For more information on Martyn, visit our website. Story editor contact: Edward T. Cummins