As Donald Trump continues to shape the political landscape, Americans remain sharply divided over his leadership and key policy decisions. Currently, only 40% of Americans approve of Trump's job performance, with 75% of Republicans in favor and 93% of Democrats opposed.
From tariffs and immigration to executive power and ethical standards, public opinion reveals deep partisan rifts and growing concerns about the direction of the country. While some policies draw surprising levels of support, others spark significant unease. This report breaks down where Americans stand on Trump's job performance and the issues shaping the 2025 political conversation.
Tariffs
Trump's policies on tariffs are a hot topic at the moment. The approval ratings are fairly close with 59% of Americans approving of his tariffs and 39% disapproving. However, the partisan split is wide, with 90% of Democrats disapproving. Age mattered slightly; Americans under 30 disapproved at 65%, and those over 55 disapproved at 55%.
Household income mattered even less. Those who earn an upper income disapproved at 63%, and those who earn a lower income disapproved at 61%.
Here's why the 90-day pause on tariffs means nothing.
Immigration
Immigration is another important topic. This is Trump's strongest issue, with 48% of Americans expressing confidence in Trump's handling of immigration. In fact, it was often (20% of the time) the issue respondents liked most about Trump's policies, while 11% of respondents said they liked it least.
Government Cuts
Overall, 55% of Americans disapprove of Trump's government cuts. 59% of Americans feel that the government cuts are being handled carelessly and 51% think it will make the government run worse, and 48% feel the cuts will end up costing more money in the end. From a partisan level, 78% of Republicans and 11% of Democrats approve of the cuts.
Government cuts were only mentioned in 9% of responses as the thing they like most about Trump's policies, while it was mentioned 11% of the time as the thing they like least.
Executive Orders
51% of Americans think Trump is doing too much via executive order, with 80% of Democrats thinking it's too much and 51% of Republicans thinking it's just right.
Federal Court Challenges
78% of Americans believe Trump must follow a federal court ruling if an action is found illegal, with 91% of Democrats believing so. When asked if Trump must follow a Supreme Court ruling, 82% of Republicans and 95% of Democrats believe he must follow it. Overall, 9% of respondents believe Trump can disregard a Supreme Court ruling.
89% of Democrats and 75% of Republicans believe it would be a problem if Trump refused to follow a court ruling.
Ethical Standards
Roughly one-third (36%) of Americans rate the ethics of Trump's administration officials as either good or excellent.
Economy
49% of Americans feel Trump's policies has made the economy weaker, and 45% of people believe the economy will be worse in a year from now. Again, there is a wide split between Republicans and Democrats with 65% of Republicans and 8% of Democrats feeling the economy will be better in one year.
Americans' biggest concerns are food, housing, and consumer goods. Overall, Republican concerns are decreasing as 57% of Republicans are concerned about the price of food, which is down from 85% in September. Democrats, however, are getting more concerned, with 78% concerned about the price of food, up from 64% in September. Concerns over housing prices show a similar pattern, with 51% of Republicans concerned, down from 72%, and 71% of Democrats concerned, up from 66%.
International Policy
Half of Americans believe that Trump's policies are weakening the U.S.'s standing on the global stage. Over time, the confidence of both Republicans and Democrats in Trump's ability to make good foreign policy decisions has declined. Confidence among Republicans has dropped from 84% to 78% of Republicans feeling confident. Democrats' confidence level dropped from 15% to 11%.
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