In the nine months since he took office, Donald Trump has set in motion a dramatic transformation of America’s government. He has tried, largely by executive fiat, to reshape its trade arrangements, immigration system, workforce and foreign policy. He has also used his bully pulpit (and the Justice department) to attack universities, the legal profession, the press and various businesses. Americans by and large have taken a dim view of his actions.
Most presidents since polling began have started their terms with positive net approval ratings (the share of voters who approve of their job performance minus the share who disapprove). Both of Mr Trump’s terms began with public opinion split nearly evenly. In both cases his net approval ratings quickly turned negative. This time around Americans are not just disappointed with how he has handled bread-and-butter issues such as inflation and the economy. They also don’t like his approach to issues that were central to his appeal, like immigration and crime. Although he cannot run for re-election in 2028, the views and priorities of ordinary Americans will shape and constrain his second term. On this page The Economist is tracking their opinions week by week, throughout the presidency.
Net approval by issue
Inflation/prices
Jobs & the economy
Guns
Immigration
Crime
Mr Trump was re-elected on a wave of economic pessimism, telling voters that “incomes will skyrocket, inflation will vanish completely, jobs will come roaring back and the middle class will prosper like never, ever before” during his second term. So far they have been disappointed. Ratings of his handling of the economy and inflation were net positive shortly after his inauguration. They have since fallen to strongly negative in the wake of his declarations of trade war and the ensuing response of investors. YouGov’s data also suggest Americans now disapprove of his handling of immigration, another issue central to his re-election.
Net approval rating by state
Using YouGov’s data, The Economist has projected Mr Trump’s approval rating state by state. As you might expect, approval of Mr Trump is lowest in states that tend to vote for Democrats and highest in those that tend to vote for Republicans. Mr Trump’s voters still overwhelmingly approve of his performance as president. But the projection also shows how dissatisfaction with Mr Trump is widespread even in states that voted for him just a few months ago. The numbers will make anxious reading for Republicans facing competitive races in next year’s midterm elections.
Trump’s net approval rating by demographic, %-points
As with other Republican politicians before him, white and male voters are among the most likely to approve of Mr Trump’s job performance, while younger voters and members of ethnic minorities are among the most strongly disapproving. People who have the most education—college graduates and postgrads—are least likely to support Mr Trump. Voters of pension age, normally a solidly Republican bloc, are also surprisingly lukewarm on the president.
What is the most important issue facing America?
% responding by party
1 Inflation/prices
Dem 20%
Rep 25%
All 22%
2 Jobs and the economy
Dem 11%
Rep 15%
All 13%
3 Health care
Dem 14%
Rep 8%
All 11%
4 Civil rights
Dem 16%
Rep 1%
All 9%
5 Taxes and government spending
Dem 3%
Rep 12%
All 8%
6 Immigration
Dem 3%
Rep 12%
All 7%
7 Climate change and the environment
Dem 9%
Rep 2%
All 6%
8 Civil liberties
Dem 12%
Rep 1%
All 6%
9 National security
Dem 2%
Rep 12%
All 6%
10 Education
Dem 4%
Rep 3%
All 3%
11 Crime
Dem 2%
Rep 4%
All 3%
Some political issues disproportionately concern political partisans. Immigration is a key issue for Mr Trump’s Republican base, as are taxes and government spending. Democrats are more worried about health care and climate change. The chart above shows the most important issues among American adults and members of each party.
Most important issues, 2017-2025
Karl Marx said that men make their own history, but they do not make it as they please. That goes for Mr Trump as much as for anyone else. Public opinion in Mr Trump’s first term came to be dominated by concern about health care, especially after the outbreak of covid-19. The economic effects of the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 made inflation a defining issue of Mr Biden’s presidency. The chart above shows which issues have been most important to American adults since 2017, based on weekly survey data from YouGov. ■
