More than five months into his second-term presidency and with substantial policy wins under his belt, President Donald Trump faces an American electorate that mostly disapproves of his handling of major issues, according to polling.
Trump signed into law his sprawling domestic policy bill over the weekend during a Fourth of July ceremony at the White House. The bill focuses on tax cuts, energy, and immigration that the White House and Republicans say will buoy his poll numbers. But it remains to be seen how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act might influence them as the president and his party emerge from weeks of intense negotiations to muscle it through slim GOP majorities.
Here’s where Trump stood on key issues such as the economy, immigration, foreign policy events, and his overall approval heading into the holiday weekend based on recent polling.
Job approval
Trump’s overall approval remains in net negative territory, primarily since early March, according to polling averages tracked by RealClear Politics and Decision Desk HQ.
RealClear Politics has him at 49.9% disapprove and 46.7% approve, compared to when he retook office in January with 50.5% approve and 44.3% disapprove. Decision Desk HQ shows him that 51% disapprove and 54.3% approve, down from January when his approval was 56% and disapproval was 39%.
Trump’s approval and disapproval ratings have flipped since January and have remained in red territory since March. They briefly tied around 48% for both in early June before approval numbers dipped into the net negatives.
Polling suggests he’s been dragged down the most by decreased support for handling the economy and inflation.
Rasmussen Reports, known to give slight favor to Republicans but who tracks Trump’s ratings weekly, showed his latest job approval for last week was 49% compared to 48% who disapproved. Underscoring the vast discrepancies between surveys, a recent Yahoo/YouGov poll suggested it was only 40% who approved and 56% disapproved.
Illegal immigration
Trump’s immigration numbers have taken a significant hit as he’s sought to crack down on illegal border crossings and remove those in the country illegally, but it remains one of his strongest areas.
Trump’s RealClearPolitics average on immigration is at nearly a 3-point net disapproval. Since mid-June, he’s polled anywhere from a net -2 to as low as a net -16. That’s compared to early in his second term when he polled from a net -3 to +18 in the first two months. He consistently polled in the net positives until mid-April.
The worsening figures correlated to his administration’s enforcement efforts with mass deportations and raids that sparked riots last month in Los Angeles.
An Economist/YouGov survey released last week showed him only a net -2 disapproval, with 48% approving and 50% disapproving.
Economy and Inflation
The economy is where Trump polls the worst. His average approval sits at a net -12.6%, with 55.1% disapproval and 42.5% approval.
His support for handling the economy has remained steadily in the red, down from net positive territory since retaking office. This has been largely thanks to his trade moves centered on tariffs for foreign imports, although he’s rebounded slightly by a few percentage points since the spring.
Trump, White House officials, and congressional Republicans have cited his legislation, which they say will provide a boon to the economy in the form of continued tax breaks. However, it’s projected to add trillions to the U.S. deficit over the next decade.
An Economist/YouGov poll from last week had Trump’s approval rating at a net -5%, with 46% approving and 51% disapproving.
On inflation, Trump fares even worse. He has a net approval rating of -19.5%, with 59.2% disapproval and 39.7% approval. He’s consistently been in the double-digit net negatives despite economic data showing his varying tariff policies have so far not significantly contributed to higher prices.
Last week’s Economist/YouGov survey showed Trump at a net -17%, with 40% approval and 57% disapproval.
Foreign Policy
Trump’s foreign policy numbers are at a net -11.1 approval, with 53.4% disapproval and 42.3% approval. Net positive results have been mainly absent for him since surveys from his first month back in office.
More recently, he’s made the U.S. become more involved in tense Middle East conflicts, including brokering a peace agreement between Israel and Iran after Trump had American forces bomb Iranian nuclear sites.
CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS ACHIEVE RECORD-HIGH APPROVAL RATING IN LARGE JUMP SINCE LAST YEAR
The most recent poll from NPR/PBS/Marist, conducted in late June in the immediate aftermath of the Iranian bombings, had Trump with a net -10%, with 42% approval and 52% disapproval.
Trump’s handling of Russia’s war on Ukraine has driven down his markings on foreign policy more so than the Israel-Hamas war. His net approval for Russia and Ukraine sits at -16.7, compared to a net approval of -7.4 for Israel and Hamas.
