Trump approval rating drops in new poll; more Americans oppose immigration policies
The poll, released July 20 by CBS/YouGov, found that immigration is the top issue respondents said swayed their opinion of the president's job performance, with 61% saying immigration and deportation policies "mattered a lot," followed by inflation and the economy.
Overall, the poll puts Trump's approval rating at 42%, with disapproval at 58%. The survey previously found Trump's approval rating was 45% in June and 47% in mid-April.
In contrast, the second-term president's aggregate approval ratings from The New York Times and Real Clear Politics show a 44% and 45.5% approval, respectively, and a 53% and 52% disapproval.
The new survey's findings come just a few days after Trump's approval numbers on immigration hit an all-time low since the start of his second term in a Reuters/Ipsos poll, conducted between July 15 and July 16. Approximately 41% of Americans approved of the administration's immigration stances, while 51% disapproved.
Among the 2,343 U.S. adult respondents in the CBS poll, 56% said they disapprove of the way the president is handling immigration, while 44% said they approve. That's a ten-point drop from when pollsters asked the same question at the beginning of the president's second term in February, the outlet reports, when 54% approved and 46% disapproved.
The poll also specifically asked respondents about the administration's efforts to deport immigrants they say are in the U.S. illegally. Support for the push has also dropped ten points since February, with a majority now against the policies. Less than half − 49% − of respondents said they approved of the deportations in the July survey, compared to 59% in the results from February.
"Approval of the deportation program has slipped over these months to become slightly net-negative now, with support becoming more exclusively drawn from Republicans and MAGA identifiers," CBS said upon release of the results on Sunday.
The differences in support for Trump's immigration policies is split among party lines. Nearly all Republicans surveyed − 91% − say they approve of the president's deportation program. Among Democrats, 14% say they approve, while a majority – 86% – disapproved. Among independents, 59% were against the deportations and 41% were for them.
The administration's use of detention facilities, like its deportation efforts, saw similar results in the July poll, with 58% disapproving and 42% approving of their use. Support was also drawn across party lines, with 85% of Republicans approving of the detention facilities, compared to 15% of Democrats.
The poll was conducted between July 16-18. It has a margin of error of ±2.5 points.
Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@usatoday.com and on X @KathrynPlmr.
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