The public's confidence in the president-elect is nearly on par with its sentiment for former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush before they formally took office. | Getty Gallup: Confidence in Trump grows after election

Just over half of Americans are more confident in Donald Trump’s ability to serve as president as the reality of his upset win sets in, according to a national poll released on Wednesday.

A national Gallup poll of voting-age adults shows confidence in Trump comes close to matching sentiment for former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush before they formally took office.


But while 51 percent of respondents are more confident in Trump, a large number of Americans are not as optimistic.

In a number that far exceeds those for either Clinton or Bush, 40 percent of Americans are less confident in Trump compared with 26 percent and 28 percent, respectively, for the two former presidents. The difference stems in part from the relatively small number of respondents (9 percent) who have no opinion on the matter.

Americans, meanwhile, still give high marks to outgoing President Barack Obama — a fact he noted in his remarks on Tuesday.

Obama posted his highest approval rating in Gallup’s weekly average (57 percent) since late December 2012, a number that also matches his high from July 2009.

Gallup’s presidential confidence survey was based on landline and cellphone interviews from Nov. 7 through 13 with 3,561 adults living in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.