President Donald Trump’s approval rating has soared past that of ex-President Barack Obama’s at the same point in his administration, defying negative sterotypes driven by opponents as he became only the third president in U.S. history to be impeached.

Trump’s job approval rating 151 weeks into his presidency sits at 45 percent, as revealed by a Gallup poll last Wednesday. That puts Trump three points higher than the 42 percent approval rating Gallup found for Obama at the same point of his presidency.

Gallup’s poll recorded a similar job disapproval rating for both presidents 151 weeks into their administrations. Some 51 percent of voters said they disapprove of Trump’s performance in a Gallup poll conducted Dec. 2-15, compared with 50 percent of voters saying they disapproved of Obama’s performance in a Dec. 12-18, 2011 Gallup poll.

Trump’s approval rating has climbed six percentage points since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi opened an impeachment inquiry against him in September.

House Democrats subsequently voted to impeach President Donald Trump last Wednesday after the House passed article one of H.R. 755, which charges Trump with abusing the office of the presidency.

Now the House has passed articles of impeachment, the Senate will convene a trial to determine if the president should be removed from office.

That trial is expected sometime in the New Year although Pelosi has yet to offer any confirmation of the exact timing.