Polling data from multiple sources shows that a majority of Americans disapprove of President Donald Trump’s performance in the first year of his return to the White House, with one poll demonstrating that nearly 6 in 10 Americans believe Trump’s second term is already a failure.
A CNN/SSRS poll published on Friday shows that Trump’s approval rating was at a net -22 points, with only 39 percent approving of his performance over the past year and 61 percent disapproving. That’s a swing of 18 points since polling from February, when his net rating was just -4 points.
Among those disapproving of Trump’s job performance, three-quarters said they “strongly disapproved,” amounting to nearly 1 in 2 of the survey’s respondents (46 percent).
Overall, 58 percent of Americans deemed Trump’s first year back in the Oval Office as a failure. Ninety-two percent of liberal respondents said they viewed his time back so far as such, while 65 percent of moderates also described Trump’s first year that way. And while conservative respondents largely viewed the president’s first year positively, a quarter of those respondents (24 percent) said Trump’s first year was mired in failures.
Additional polls also found immense dissatisfaction with Trump since he returned to Washington one year ago.
An Economist/YouGov poll published on Tuesday shows that Trump has a net -20-point approval rating, with 57 percent of Americans disapproving of his job performance, including 1 in 6 Trump 2024 voters (16 percent). Only 37 percent of the Americans surveyed approved of his job performance.
Trump is also faring poorly on key issues he campaigned on, the survey found. On crime, Trump has a -7-point net rating, while on immigration, his number stands at -10 points. On taming inflation, Trump has a -27-point rating.
The survey also asked respondents whether or not certain terms accurately described Trump. Only 32 percent said Trump was honest or trustworthy, the Economist/YouGov poll found. Meanwhile, 53 percent said they feel his words are dangerous, while only 18 percent said they are not.
A recent Associated Press/NORC poll similarly shows Trump’s approval ratings deep underwater, with 59 percent of Americans in the survey disapproving of his performance and only 40 percent approving.
Americans also gave Trump noticeable failing grades on specific topics. On the economy, he received 37 percent approval, with 62 percent disapproval. On immigration, just 38 percent approved of Trump’s performance, while 61 percent disapproved. And on foreign policy, Trump saw a similar rating, with 37 percent approving of his performance and 61 percent disapproving.
A newly published Quinnipiac University poll was slightly more generous toward Trump, but still demonstrated strong disapproval among the electorate, with 54 percent of Americans disapproving of Trump’s handling of the presidency while only 40 percent approved.
Thirty-eight percent of Americans said the U.S. is on the “right track,” that survey showed, while 56 percent viewed the country as heading in the “wrong direction.”
The Quinnipiac poll also asked respondents their feelings toward several Trump administration officials — none of whom received net positive ratings. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had a net -3-point approval rating, for instance, while Vice President J.D. Vance received a -7-point score. Adviser Stephen Miller received a -10-point rating, and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. got a -11-point grade. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth received a -9-point score.
The polling data, consistent across numerous recently-conducted surveys, indicates that a majority of Americans are unhappy with the direction that Trump has taken the country over the past year. Indeed, the recent polling data represents one of the widest spreads of disapproval ratings Trump has seen since taking office again, and rivals his negative standing in January 2021, when he was departing office after the expiration of his first term — and just after a mob of loyalists, at his direction, descended upon the U.S. Capitol and violently overtook the building as Congress was affirming his 2020 presidential election loss.
Trump doesn’t appear to be halting any of his unpopular ideas anytime soon, including his push for annexing Greenland, expanding his controversial tariffs on imported goods, and more — which could have a profound impact on the outcomes of the 2026 congressional midterm elections.
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