Trump's popularity takes major dent as his approval ratings on economy, immigration & Iran war decline

Major political opinion polls in the United States indicated that President Donald Trump's management of the US economy, immigration and the Iran conflict is slipping. The figures are being seen as flashing warning signals for the Trump-aligned Republican Party, as they have six months in hand to prepare for the US midterm elections.

According to the polls conducted by Reuters-Ipsos, Strength in Numbers-Verasight and AP-NORC, the American leader's overall approval ratings are hovering in the mid-30s, at 36 per cent, 35 per cent and 33 per cent, respectively, which are near his lowest numbers. The AP-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research poll, published on Monday, found that seven in ten Americans described the country's economy as "poor".

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They also think that under Trump, the country is currently heading towards the wrong direction. The aforementioned poll showed that the approval ratings of Trump's handling of the economy have fallen to 30 per cent approval, down from 38 per cent in March, while 72 per cent said the country is headed in the wrong direction, a figure unchanged since February.

Just 23 per cent of the respondents approve of how he is handling the cost of living, while 76 per cent disapprove. Meanwhile, a Reuters-IPSOS poll published on Wednesday found that Trump's signature migrant deportation policies could harm Republicans in the November midterms.

52 per cent of Americans said that they were less likely to support a candidate who supports Trump's deportation and immigration policies. This is significantly more than the 42 per cent who said that they were more likely to support such a candidate.

Trump's policies fail to garner popularity

The Reuters poll also found the division to be greater on the issue among non-aligned voters, or independents, with 57 per cent saying they prefer a candidate who opposes Trump’s deportations and 32 per cent preferring candidates who support Trump on the issue.

It is pertinent to note that Trump's immigration policy was supported by 50 per cent of the country in the weeks after his January 2025 inauguration. However, the Reuters poll suggested that only 40 per cent of Americans currently approve it in the light of clashes between immigration enforcement agents and protesters early in the year, resulting in two protester deaths in Minneapolis, the administration has slowed its detention of immigrants.

Apart from this, a poll conducted by NBC News' decision desk revealed that Trump's personal approval rating has hit a second-term low, with 37 per cent of adults approving of Trump’s performance as president, while 63 per cent disapprove. Among those, 50 per cent said they disapprove strongly.

Despite Trump's declining popularity, NBC News found that 83 per cent of Republicans still give Trump a positive approval rating, down 4 points from earlier this year, and his handling of the economy was strongly approved by 52 per cent compared to 58 per cent previously.

Despite this, the challenge remains for Republican candidates to defend their twin majorities in Congress. The same NBC poll found that one-third of Americans believe the country is on the right track, while two-thirds believe it is on the wrong track.

The poll found that the economy continues to be the top issue, with 29 per cent saying it is the issue that matters most to them right now, while 24 per cent said threats to democracy, 12 per cent said healthcare, and 10% said crime and safety.

Meanwhile, two-thirds, or 67 per cent, said they disapprove of Trump’s handling of the war with Iran, with one-third approving. These figures become worse among Democrats and independents, showing almost all Democrats and 82 per cent of independents disapproving, but 74 per cent of Republicans approving.

Overall, a majority of 61 per cent said that the United States should not take further action in the Iran war. Interestingly, Trump and the Republican Party find more support when it comes to the push to require voters to show photo ID and proof-of-citizenship requirements. Three-quarters of Americans said they support government-issued photo ID, and 61 per cent said they think those documents should include proof of citizenship.