Polls find that Americans have mixed feelings about Trump’s handling of the US economy and immigration.
United States President Donald Trump‘s approval rating has dropped to 40 percent, the lowest level of his second term in office, as Americans remain concerned about his handling of the economy and immigration.
The three-day poll by Reuters news agency and Ipsos, which closed on Monday, surveyed 1,023 US adults nationwide and had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
Trump had a 41% approval rating in Reuters/Ipsos’ most recent prior poll, conducted on July 15 and 16.
This latest poll showed a nation deeply polarised over Trump, with 83% of Republicans and just 3% of Democrats approving of his performance. About one-third of independents approved.
Trump campaigned on promises to supercharge the US economy and crack down on immigration, and the poll found that Americans gave him mixed marks on both those areas, where his administration is using aggressive tactics.
The recent slippage on immigration is particularly significant because the issue was a major strength for Trump in the 2024 election. Earlier in his second term, it was also one of the few areas where he was outperforming his overall approval. In March, about half of US adults approved of his handling of immigration.
Other recent polls also show growing discontent with Trump’s approach on immigration. A poll conducted by US media outlet CNN and SSRS found that 55 percent of US adults say the president has gone too far when it comes to deporting undocumented immigrants who are living in the US, an increase of 10 percentage points since February.
“I understand wanting to get rid of illegal immigrants, but the way that’s being done is very aggressive,” said Donovan Baldwin, 18, of Asheboro, North Carolina, who did not vote in the 2024 election. “And that’s why people are protesting, because it comes off as aggression. It’s not right.”
Some 38 percent of respondents approved of Trump’s handling of the economy, up from 35 percent approval in the mid-July Reuters poll.
The CNN poll, however, found that ratings of Trump’s handling of the economy, which were more positive during his first term, have been persistently negative in his second term. It found that few Americans think Trump’s policies have benefitted them so far.
There are concerns over the negative effect that Trump’s tariffs may have at home.
Even if he is not a fan of everything Trump has done so far, Brian Nichols, 58, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is giving him the benefit of the doubt.
Nichols, who voted for Trump in 2024, likes what he is seeing from the president overall, though he has his concerns both on style and substance, particularly Trump’s social media presence and his on-again, off-again tariffs.
“We put him into office for a reason, and we should be trusting that he’s doing the job for the best of America,” Nichols said.
