Latest news with #DecisionDeskHQ
The Independent
14 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
Trump's approval rating sinks to 40%, the lowest of his term, new poll finds
President Donald Trump's approval rating has dropped one percentage point, to 40 percent, the lowest yet of his second presidential term, according to a fresh poll. The new Reuters/Ipsos poll, which was completed on Monday and surveyed 1,023 American adults, showed the nation continues to be sharply split on Trump's performance since his inauguration. Around 83 percent of Republicans only three percent of Democrats approved of his performance, with only a third of independents approving of his actions. It's not all bad for Trump; 38 percent of respondents approved of his handling of the economy, up from 35 percent in mid-July. Another 43 percent approved of his immigration policies, compared to only 41 percent a few weeks ago. But elsewhere, Trump is taking hits, including among one of his core voter demographics: men. According to a poll by CBS/YouGov released last week, Trump's approval rating is tanking with men during his second term. It found 47 percent of men approve of the job Trump is doing, while 53 percent do not. In October — just before Trump's second electoral victory — a similar CBS/YouGov poll found that 54 percent of men supported Trump and 64 percent said they thought he would be a strong leader. The drop overall reflects a broader disapproval with Trump's second term; DecisionDeskHQ's polling averages show the president's overall approval rating was down by about 12 points since January, a drop from 56 percent to 44 percent this week. According to the new CBS/YouGov poll, 47 percent of men said Trump was focusing "too much" on deportations, while 33 percent said he was showing the "right amount" of focus. In another metric, 65 percent of men said Trump has not done enough to lower prices, and only 29 percent said they felt he had. Another poll, administered by Gallup last week, put Trump's approval rating at 37 percent — the lowest he's been for that specific poll. The three key issues driving down Trump's approval rating were the major issues that attracted men to Trump in the first place, according to the poll. That could spell trouble for Republicans come the midterm elections if they do not adjust their focus and messaging before the election. Trump's dipping approval ratings comes at a difficult time for Republicans, as some stalwart supporters among his voter base and within his party are questioning the president, over his handling of the so-called "Epstein files." The president promised to be transparent about what the government knew of disgraced New York financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — a man who had a long and well-documented prior friendship with Trump. After U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced she had the so-called Epstein 'client list' on her desk, the administration backtracked and insisted no such file existed. It also confirmed previous rulings that Epstein died by suicide in his New York jail cell while awaiting trial for child sex trafficking.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Polls turn sour on Trump as he hits new lows with independents
President Trump is facing his most challenging political moment of his second term, with rough poll numbers and growing furor over his administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. Trump saw some of his lowest approval ratings of his second term over the past week, with his net approval in the Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) average falling to more than 9 points underwater. He's seen declines, in particular, among independents and on his handling of certain key issues like immigration. At the same time, he's trying to tame an ongoing headache stemming from the controversial case of the financier and convicted sex offender. While his numbers certainly haven't bottomed out, they indicate to a tough moment for Trump after a series of major victories in recent months. Lee Miringoff, the director of the Marist University Institute for Public Opinion, said Trump's quickly shifting political fortunes are part of his skill at 'keeping the focus moving all the time,' which requires redirecting people's attention to his benefit. 'But you do take a cost that your victories are short-lived, and the net effect is there's still an awful lot that people feel has not been accomplished and that he hasn't fulfilled a lot of campaign promises, even though some of it clearly was written and spoken of during the campaign,' he added. Just a few weeks ago, Trump was in a considerably stronger place politically. His 'big, beautiful bill' was able to overcome a number of congressional roadblocks, and he signed it into law on July 4, his previously stated goal. In June, the Supreme Court didn't settle the legal scrutiny around Trump's executive order to end birthright citizenship, but it handed him a win by stopping lower-court judges from issuing nationwide injunctions. That same month, the number of immigrants detained after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally dropped to a record low, and Trump ordered strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, followed by a ceasefire between Israel and Iran that's held. In the lead-up to and during some of that time, Trump's approval rating showed signs of modest improvement. His net approval rating fell underwater for the first time in the DDHQ average for his second term in early March, and it stayed net negative through the end of his first 100 days back in office. It started to tick up in mid-May, and his approval rating returned to net positive for a day on June 5. But since then, several measures of the public's opinion on the administration have been going in the wrong direction for Trump. His net approval rating reached its lowest point yet in the DDHQ rating Monday, falling 9.2 points in the negative, while his disapproval rating in the RealClearPolitics average reached its highest point Wednesday at 52.7 percent. Some polls have been better for Trump, with an Emerson College Polling survey only showing him 1 point underwater, but multiple major pollsters have found him trending in the wrong direction recently, including Morning Consult, YouGov/The Economist and Gallup. The Gallup poll could particularly be a warning sign for Trump and the GOP, with 37 percent of respondents saying they approve of his job performance, down from 40 percent last month and 43 percent in May. The major group driving the downturn appears to be independents, with only 29 percent saying they approve of him, equivalent to the lowest level he had with them through either of his terms in office. Democratic strategist Joe Caiazzo said the numbers are evidence that any grace period Trump enjoyed has ended. 'The honeymoon is over because, per usual, the chaos and instability of the Trump administration has not led, has not resolved, has not given the results the working people need to improve their daily lives,' he said. He pointed to continued inflation amid Trump's tariff policy, along with the public witnessing major raids from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detaining people at places like schools, hospitals and churches. One eye-opening finding from recent polling has been Trump starting to struggle with how the public views his handling of immigration, an issue that has long been one of his biggest strengths. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found this month that the president's approval on the issue fell to a second-term record low of 41 percent. The downturn began after the increase in ICE raids in California. A poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research gathered similar findings. Meanwhile, the Epstein files have dominated national attention for the past few weeks and have stirred significant backlash, including from some of Trump's MAGA base. An Emerson poll showed more than half of all respondents disapproved of Trump's handling of the Epstein files, while only 16 percent approved. Republicans have indicated they weren't too concerned about the polls, pointing to the Democrats' record-low approval ratings of late and the continually steady support Trump has among his base. Despite the frustration related to the Epstein files, polls haven't found any notable drop in Republicans' backing of Trump, with 85 percent to 90 percent approving of him in most cases. Republican strategist Dave Carney said the Epstein case is a 'distraction' compared to other issues that the average person cares about, like affordability. He said he's not worried about this becoming a major issue for now, but the administration should release the documents to move on. 'Communications is a vital part of getting anything accomplished,' Carney said. 'They just got off on the wrong foot on this. They just need to fix what they can and move on.' Republican strategist Brady Smith argued that a benefit for Trump of not having to worry about reelection is he can move forward with policies that he believes are in the country's interest even if the poll numbers suggest they're not popular. 'One of the big takeaways here is with the president unable to seek another term in the White House, he doesn't have to play to the polls as much,' he said. 'He's able to put into practice what he campaigned on, and deportations and securing of the border was top of the list. Voters knew what they were voting for at the time.' But Democrats are hoping the numbers and pressure on Trump will be an opportunity for them as they look toward the midterms, particularly as Trump's signature legislative achievement, the 'big, beautiful bill,' also has performed poorly in the polls. 'There are no future electoral consequences for him,' Democratic strategist Roy Occhiogrosso said. 'There are future electoral consequences as soon as next year for the Republican Party.' Despite Trump following through on campaign promises like instituting tariffs and rooting out illegal immigration, Miringoff said the shift among independents and others against Trump on key issues may illustrate the difference between campaigning and governing. 'It hasn't looked as nice as it was packaged running against the Democrats,' he said, adding that implementing the tariffs has been 'more complicated' than how Trump described it in his campaign messages. He said Trump's 'magic' always has been 'keeping the ball moving' so the public's attention doesn't stick too much to any one issue, but he's having more difficulty moving on from these issues dragging him down in polling. 'He's been masterful at that throughout his public career, and now he's having significant problems turning the page,' Miringoff said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Polls turn sour on Trump as he hits new lows with independents
President Trump is facing his most challenging political moment of his second term, with rough poll numbers and growing furor over his administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. Trump saw some of his lowest approval ratings of his second term over the past week, with his net approval in the Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) average falling to more than 9 points underwater. He's seen declines, in particular, among independents and on his handling of certain key issues like immigration. At the same time, he's trying to tame an ongoing headache stemming from the controversial case of the financier and convicted sex offender. While his numbers certainly haven't bottomed out, they indicate to a tough moment for Trump after a series of major victories in recent months. Lee Miringoff, the director of the Marist University Institute for Public Opinion, said Trump's quickly shifting political fortunes are part of his skill at 'keeping the focus moving all the time,' which requires redirecting people's attention to his benefit. 'But you do take a cost that your victories are short-lived, and the net effect is there's still an awful lot that people feel has not been accomplished and that he hasn't fulfilled a lot of campaign promises, even though some of it clearly was written and spoken of during the campaign,' he added. Just a few weeks ago, Trump was in a considerably stronger place politically. His 'big, beautiful bill' was able to overcome a number of congressional roadblocks, and he signed it into law on July 4, his previously stated goal. In June, the Supreme Court didn't settle the legal scrutiny around Trump's executive order to end birthright citizenship, but it handed him a win by stopping lower-court judges from issuing nationwide injunctions. That same month, the number of immigrants detained after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally dropped to a record low, and Trump ordered strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, followed by a ceasefire between Israel and Iran that's held. In the lead-up to and during some of that time, Trump's approval rating showed signs of modest improvement. His net approval rating fell underwater for the first time in the DDHQ average for his second term in early March, and it stayed net negative through the end of his first 100 days back in office. It started to tick up in mid-May, and his approval rating returned to net positive for a day on June 5. But since then, several measures of the public's opinion on the administration have been going in the wrong direction for Trump. His net approval rating reached its lowest point yet in the DDHQ rating Monday, falling 9.2 points in the negative, while his disapproval rating in the RealClearPolitics average reached its highest point Wednesday at 52.7 percent. Some polls have been better for Trump, with an Emerson College Polling survey only showing him 1 point underwater, but multiple major pollsters have found him trending in the wrong direction recently, including Morning Consult, YouGov/The Economist and Gallup. The Gallup poll could particularly be a warning sign for Trump and the GOP, with 37 percent of respondents saying they approve of his job performance, down from 40 percent last month and 43 percent in May. The major group driving the downturn appears to be independents, with only 29 percent saying they approve of him, equivalent to the lowest level he had with them through either of his terms in office. Democratic strategist Joe Caiazzo said the numbers are evidence that any grace period Trump enjoyed has ended. 'The honeymoon is over because, per usual, the chaos and instability of the Trump administration has not led, has not resolved, has not given the results the working people need to improve their daily lives,' he said. He pointed to continued inflation amid Trump's tariff policy, along with the public witnessing major raids from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detaining people at places like schools, hospitals and churches. One eye-opening finding from recent polling has been Trump starting to struggle with how the public views his handling of immigration, an issue that has long been one of his biggest strengths. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found this month that the president's approval on the issue fell to a second-term record low of 41 percent. The downturn began after the increase in ICE raids in California. A poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research gathered similar findings. Meanwhile, the Epstein files have dominated national attention for the past few weeks and have stirred significant backlash, including from some of Trump's MAGA base. An Emerson poll showed more than half of all respondents disapproved of Trump's handling of the Epstein files, while only 16 percent approved. Republicans have indicated they weren't too concerned about the polls, pointing to the Democrats' record-low approval ratings of late and the continually steady support Trump has among his base. Despite the frustration related to the Epstein files, polls haven't found any notable drop in Republicans' backing of Trump, with 85 percent to 90 percent approving of him in most cases. Republican strategist Dave Carney said the Epstein case is a 'distraction' compared to other issues that the average person cares about, like affordability. He said he's not worried about this becoming a major issue for now, but the administration should release the documents to move on. 'Communications is a vital part of getting anything accomplished,' Carney said. 'They just got off on the wrong foot on this. They just need to fix what they can and move on.' Republican strategist Brady Smith argued that a benefit for Trump of not having to worry about reelection is he can move forward with policies that he believes are in the country's interest even if the poll numbers suggest they're not popular. 'One of the big takeaways here is with the president unable to seek another term in the White House, he doesn't have to play to the polls as much,' he said. 'He's able to put into practice what he campaigned on, and deportations and securing of the border was top of the list. Voters knew what they were voting for at the time.' But Democrats are hoping the numbers and pressure on Trump will be an opportunity for them as they look toward the midterms, particularly as Trump's signature legislative achievement, the 'big, beautiful bill,' also has performed poorly in the polls. 'There are no future electoral consequences for him,' Democratic strategist Roy Occhiogrosso said. 'There are future electoral consequences as soon as next year for the Republican Party.' Despite Trump following through on campaign promises like instituting tariffs and rooting out illegal immigration, Miringoff said the shift among independents and others against Trump on key issues may illustrate the difference between campaigning and governing. 'It hasn't looked as nice as it was packaged running against the Democrats,' he said, adding that implementing the tariffs has been 'more complicated' than how Trump described it in his campaign messages. He said Trump's 'magic' always has been 'keeping the ball moving' so the public's attention doesn't stick too much to any one issue, but he's having more difficulty moving on from these issues dragging him down in polling. 'He's been masterful at that throughout his public career, and now he's having significant problems turning the page,' Miringoff said.
The Hill
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump favorability falls in survey of AAPI adults
President Trump's favorability has fallen among Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander people in the United States, according to a new poll from AAPI Data and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. In the poll, Trump was seen as 'very favorable' or 'somewhat favorable' by 26 percent of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander people in the U.S., down from 37 percent in December. Trump was also seen in a 'very' or 'somewhat' negative light by 71 percent of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander people in the U.S., up from 60 percent in December. As the president passes the six-month mark for his second term, his polling overall does not appear to be faring well, with his disapproval rating sitting at 53 percent in a Decision Desk HQ average of polls. Trump is also facing rough headwinds at the moment due to controversy surrounding his administration's handling of information about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump's governing partner, Vice President Vance, was seen as 'very unfavorable' or 'somewhat unfavorable' by 61 percent of respondents, while 26 percent said the opposite. The AAPI Data and AP-NORC poll took place from June 3 and 11, featuring 1,130 people and a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.7 percentage points.
The Hill
7 days ago
- Business
- The Hill
Trump's net approval hits lowest point of second term in DDHQ average
President Trump's net approval rating reached its lowest point yet of his second term in office in the Decision Desk HQ polling average. Trump's net approval rating reached 9.2 points underwater on Monday, the lowest it's been since DDHQ started tracking his approval numbers during his second term. The average found that 53.4 percent of respondents disapproved of his job performance, the highest number recorded since he returned to the White House in January. His net approval slightly improved on Tuesday, but his approval rating fell to its second-lowest level of his term at 44 percent. The declines are part of a broader rough week of polling for Trump, who has seen some weakening on multiple questions evaluating his standing with the public. A drop in the percentage of independents who approve of his job performance could be one explanation for the change, as it dropped almost 3 points over the past week. His net favorability rating also dropped by a larger margin of 2 points over the past week, with 52.6 percent viewing him unfavorably and 44.9 percent viewing him favorably as of Tuesday. The last time that his unfavorable percentage was at this level was early May. Vice President Vance's net unfavorability rating also rose, though he overall remains slightly more popular than Trump, only underwater by 6 points, compared to just under 5 points last week. The percentage of people who say the country is on the wrong track has remained roughly static for weeks, but almost 54 percent believe it's going in the wrong direction while 39 percent say it's going in the right direction, according to the average. Slightly less than a majority said the country was on the wrong track briefly as recently as early last month. The news could be a positive sign for Democrats, who have taken more of a lead in the generic congressional ballot, which could be an indicator for the parties' performances in the midterms next year. Democrats lead 46.5 percent to 43.2 percent as of Sunday, a shift of more than 2 points in their favor over the past week. Democrats have led in the average on this question throughout much of Trump's term but by much smaller margins of less than 1 point typically. The midterms are still more than a year away, and much can change, but Democrats leading the generic ballot by at least a few points is a decent target for them to be positioned to win back a majority in the House.
