A new poll indicates that only about 25% of US adults believe President Donald Trump’s policies have positively impacted them since he took office.
The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research poll reveals that the Republican president fails to secure majority approval on any of the surveyed issues.
His approval ratings have even dipped slightly on immigration, an area that typically shows strength for him in his second term.
While a majority of Americans acknowledge Mr. Trump’s ability to “somewhat” get things done following the passage of his significant budget bill, fewer feel he understands the challenges faced by average Americans.
Approximately half of US adults believe Mr. Trump’s policies have been more detrimental than helpful since the beginning of his second term six months ago, according to the survey.
Around 20% of respondents stated that his policies have had “no impact” on their lives, while approximately 25% reported his policies have been “more helpful.”
The vast majority of Democrats and about half of independents perceive a negative impact from Mr. Trump’s policies, and even many Republicans report not seeing positive effects.
These mixed reactions to Mr. Trump’s policies coincide with his struggles to deliver on key campaign promises, including reducing costs for working-class Americans, preserving popular social welfare programs like Medicaid, ending foreign wars, and lowering government spending.
Inflation rose last month to its highest point since February, driven by Mr. Trump’s comprehensive tariffs that are increasing the cost of various goods, from groceries and clothing to furniture and appliances.
Further, Mr. Trump’s budget bill incorporates Medicaid cuts, which are projected to leave 11.8 million more Americans uninsured and add $3.3 trillion to the national debt, according to the Congressional Budget Office’s estimations.
Simultaneously, violent conflicts persist in Israel and Ukraine.
The poll indicates that approximately 40% of US adults approve of Mr. Trump’s job performance, consistent with his June approval rating but historically low compared to recent presidents.
Nearer to half of US adults approved of Joe Biden and Barack Obama at similar junctures in their Democratic presidencies, according to polls from AP-NORC and Gallup, although Mr. Biden’s approval rating declined in the second half of his first year and remained low for the rest of his time in office.
Mr. Trump received less than 50% approval on all issues assessed in the new AP-NORC poll, including the economy, government spending, trade, taxes, immigration, health care, and his handling of the Middle East conflict.
Only 43% of US adults approved of his handling of immigration, a slight decrease from the 49% who supported his work on the issue in March.
Mr. Trump also seems to have lost some support for his spending decisions, with approximately 40% of Americans approving of his handling of government spending, down from 46% in March.
Regarding the economy as a whole, around 40% of adults approve of Trump’s performance, a figure that has remained relatively stable in recent months.
Despite these criticisms, a majority of US adults still consider Mr. Trump at least somewhat effective.
Approximately 60% believe the phrase “capable of getting things done” describes Mr. Trump at least “somewhat” well, and about half of US adults feel the same about the phrases “good negotiator” and “capable of handling a crisis.”
