As President Donald Trump wraps up the first year of his second term—one marked by US aggression abroad and rising political violence at home—a wave of new polls released this week shows him and his policies at remarkably high, and in some cases record, levels of unpopularity. Across nearly every major measure, Trump is generating more backlash than loyalty, deepening distrust as his personal standing continues to slide.
A new CNN poll released Friday found that nearly 60 percent of Americans describe Trump’s first year back in office as a failure. Trump is faltering even on issues that have historically been his strongest, like the economy. A majority of Americans (55 percent) say he has made the economy worse, while just 36 percent believe he has focused on the right priorities—a nine-point drop since the start of his term. CNN also found Trump’s overall job approval rating languishing at 39 percent, down from 48 percent last February. A clear majority say he has gone too far in using presidential power. You can read the full results here.
CNN’s numbers are not outliers. A new Associated Press–NORC poll, released on Thursday, shows erosion even within Trump’s own party. Only 16 percent of Republicans say the president has helped “a lot” with the cost of living, down sharply from 49 percent in April 2024. Trump’s approval on immigration—still one of his strongest issues among Republicans—has slipped as well, falling from 88 percent in March to 76 percent in the latest survey. Overall, just 38 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of immigration, a marked decline, while 61 percent disapprove. Across the poll, voters say Trump is focused on the wrong priorities, abusing power, hurting the economy, and leaving the country worse off. The survey marked his lowest approval ratings on the economy reported by AP pollsters during both stints in the White House.
Other surveys this week echoed the same themes. A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Trump deeply underwater overall, with 58 percent disapproving of his job performance and just 36 percent approving of his handling of the economy. The poll also found overwhelming opposition to Trump’s foreign adventurism, with 71 percent saying the use of military force against Greenland would be a bad idea. Meanwhile, a Marist poll released Friday found that 56 percent of Americans oppose the United States taking military action in Venezuela.
The part you include in the last bit about the budget (and, more importantly, appropriations) is extremely important. The reason ICE is so out of control right now is not just policy, it's also the ginormous budget that was approved by Congress. If Democrats take over even one house of Congress, it gives them some negotiating leverage. Yes, this may lead to more shutdowns when no agreement is made. But I think if Democrats gain some power back due to ICE overreach, then even they can win the messaging battle on a shutdown, too.
But the second important bit is that if Trump eats his very last cheeseburger while Democrats control at least one house of Congress, then they have a say in who the next Vice President will be. (If the VP position is vacant for any reason, including the VP becoming President, the new President's pick must be confirmed by both houses of Congress). And, really, Democrats have no reason to confirm any VP at all, not after what McConnell did to Obama's last SC pick. If the VP spot is vacant, then they can't be available to break ties, which is like one less Republican vote. And, if the new President is unable to serve for any reason (perhaps inappropriate sectional relations? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ), then the House Speaker becomes President.