Donald Trump becomes president at his most powerful. Prepared, with business behind him… and with growing popularity

Donald Trump – who left office as the embattled 45th president – has made a stunning political resurgence and returns at the peak of his powers to be sworn as the nation’s 47th president.

The next US president will be surrounded by a battle-tested team of devoted loyalists, built from the strategists who stuck with him after his election defeat and spent two years in the political wilderness. 

And his allies have only grown as Trump has won over some of the media moguls and Silicon Valley tech lords he clashed with during his first administration.

Trump survived a bullet to his ear, plus overcame four criminal cases and a felony conviction to become the first Republican in 20 years to win a bigger share of the popular vote than his opponent.

And since the election his standing has only improved, with a bump in public approval during his time as president elect.

Voters say he has grown into the role with his presidential performances, according to a major new DailyMail.com/J.L. Partners poll. Some 39 percent of respondents said they had developed a more positive view of the 78-year-old former property mogul during the past two months. 

On Monday, the world will tune in to watch him accept the oath as he places his hand on the Bible used by Abraham Lincoln in 1861 and another given to Trump by his mother.

They are the same two Bibles he used in 2017. But he will be an entirely different man to the one who had to hurriedly assemble a White House team after that surprise win over Hillary Clinton.

Back then half his core team was parachuted in from Wall Street or the Republican establishment.

This time, Trump has drawn from a Republican Party remade in his own image during the past eight years and helmed by Susie Wiles, a seasoned chief of staff who has so far managed to maintain the sort of discipline that was absent in his first term.

Doubters have been silenced or brought into the fold. 

The tech barons seated among the VVIPs at the inauguration include Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder who has stood down his factchecking operations, and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, who angered readers and staff at his Washington Post newspaper by refusing to endorse Kamala Harris in the election.

In the meantime, Trump’s overall approval rating has ticked up from 45 percent to 48 percent during the past month, according to our poll.

It is still low compared with other presidential transitions. But it represents a marked contrast with the chaos and turmoil of Trump’s first election win.

James Johnson, co-founder of J.L. Partners, said the difference was clear.

‘Rather than react with disgust and outrage, voters on the other side and in the middle are quite happy to give Donald Trump a chance,’ he said.

‘This could be because of how Trump has conducted himself – people are telling us they think he is acting in a more presidential manner, singling out for example his attendance at Jimmy Carter’s funeral. 

‘But it could also be an exhaustion effect: our focus groups show people are sick of shrill criticism of Trump from partisan outlets. And they have also made it through four years of Trump before without the roof falling in.’

When asked to sum up why they had a more favorable view of Trump now, some respondents said he seemed more presidential.

‘He’s being gracious to the former presidents he meets with,’ said one, after Trump met his counterparts at the funeral for Carter. 

‘I’m not sure why,’ said another respondent whose view of Trump had improved. ‘Maybe he’s trying to be more “Presidential”.’ 

A word cloud of responses was dominated by the terms: America, country and president.

Other pollsters have noted a similar phenomenon, and suggested that part of Trump’s newfound appeal with some voters lay in his contrast with Biden, who at the age of 82 has sunk into obscurity, avoiding contacts with reporters for example, during the final days of his presidency.

It may also be that voters have short memories, and the high inflation of the Biden post-pandemic years has blotted out recollections of protests and chaos under Trump. 

In contrast, those who said their view had worsened included the word ‘felon’ in their responses, reflecting his conviction in a New York court on charges of business fraud for hiding a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.

‘The people he has appointed to his cabinet are corrupt and morally bankrupt,’ said one.

The word cloud also included ‘Greenland’ and ‘Canada.’ Trump has proposed taking over both territories for national security reasons.

‘Threatening Canada, Greenland and Panama is the worst type of bullying,’ said one respondent, referring as well to his suggestion that the U.S. should reclaim the Panama Canal.

Opponents said Trump’s rating would quickly fall. 

‘The president-elect should enjoy his honeymoon,’ said Democratic strategist Brad Bannon, ‘because my prediction is that it won’t last long. 

‘I think once he becomes president, and once we start seeing some of his extremist presidential campaign promises come into reality then people will turn against him again.’