President Obama is in a strong position at the start of his second term. At 52%, his job approval rating is among the highest since the earliest months of his presidency. But it has certainly had its ups and downs. Our chart below displays Obama’s job approval ratings from Pew Research Center polls combined with major news events (the red dots) from the president’s first term. Read more about the public’s opinion of Obama, Republican and Democratic leaders and other issues related to the political climate in our January report.