President Trump’s approval numbers have declined, with a sizable majority of Americans now saying they disapprove of how he is handling the presidency, according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center.
The poll, released Thursday, shows Trump’s approval rating at 37 percent, down three points from last fall. While his support within the Republican Party remains strong, it has softened slightly since September, with 73 percent of Republicans saying they approve of his job performance.
Disapproval remains sharply divided along party lines. Nearly all Democrats surveyed — 94 percent — said they disapprove of Trump’s handling of the presidency, while just 5 percent expressed approval. Among Republicans, roughly one-quarter said they disapprove.
Views of the administration’s performance over the past year were also mixed. Half of respondents said Trump’s actions since returning to office have been worse than they expected. About one in five said his actions have exceeded expectations, while roughly a quarter said his presidency has unfolded largely as they anticipated.
Support for Trump’s policy agenda has also declined. Just 27 percent of Americans said they support all or most of his policies, down from 35 percent at the beginning of his second term. Pew researchers noted that much of this drop was driven by shifting opinions among Republicans.
The survey also found declining confidence in Trump across several personal and leadership-related measures. Fewer respondents expressed strong confidence in his leadership ability, mental sharpness and physical fitness compared with last year.
Confidence in Trump’s ethics, respect for democratic values and ability to select effective advisers also fell. Overall confidence in Trump’s ethical conduct dropped eight points since February 2025. At the start of his second term, a majority of Republicans said they were highly confident Trump would act ethically; that figure has since fallen to 42 percent.
Among Americans overall, confidence in Trump’s ethics was already low early in his term and has continued to decline.
Trump’s approval numbers, particularly among independent voters, have slipped amid growing criticism of his administration’s approach to immigration enforcement. The Pew survey was conducted as tensions were rising over recent encounters between federal agents and civilians, including a fatal shooting involving a Border Patrol agent in Minnesota.
Democrats have sharply criticized the administration’s immigration policies, and Senate Democrats recently blocked a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security, arguing it failed to address concerns over ICE’s enforcement practices. That standoff has increased the risk of a partial government shutdown.
The poll also found that Democratic voters overwhelmingly support their party’s leaders taking a confrontational stance toward Trump. More than 80 percent said Democratic leaders should push back against the president, even if doing so complicates efforts to resolve major policy challenges.
The Pew Research Center survey was conducted from Jan. 20 to Jan. 26 among 8,512 U.S. adults and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.4 percentage points.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.