New polling paints a grim picture for President Donald Trump, whose standing with the public is slipping across nearly every major issue. The erosion isn’t subtle. It’s steady, wide-ranging, and—if you’re a Republican strategist—undeniably alarming.
On five core topics included in the new The Economist/YouGov survey released on Tuesday, Trump is underwater. Just 37% of Americans approve of his handling of the environment, while 50% disapprove. Education shows a similar divide for him (37% approve, 51% disapprove).
His numbers drop further on abortion (32% approve, 50% disapprove) and health care (33% approve, 57% disapprove). And just 28% approve of his handling of the investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, while 55% disapprove.
Those issue-by-issue setbacks add up fast. On net, Trump’s job-approval rating is 19 percentage points underwater.
The one place Trump still towers is inside the loyalist bubble. Among 2024 Trump voters, 83% say he’s doing a good job as president. But once you step outside that base, the skepticism hardens. The country simply isn’t buying what he’s selling.
And it’s not as though congressional Republicans are faring better. House Speaker Mike Johnson is viewed favorably by just 28% of Americans, while 43% see him unfavorably. Senate Majority Leader John Thune posts even weaker numbers: 17% favorable, 33% unfavorable. (Notably, 50% of Americans have no opinion of Thune, showing that he is largely flying under the radar.)
Democratic leaders take their hits too—but for reasons familiar to anyone who follows the party’s mood. These are long-standing frustrations with its most establishment-minded figures. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer sits at 22% favorable to 53% unfavorable; House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries clocks in at 25% favorable to 41% unfavorable.
Trump’s problem may be a little simpler: Voters don’t think his priorities line up with theirs.
Immigration is a clear case. Trump has spent much of his presidency escalating punitive tactics against immigrants. But the public draws a very different line. According to the poll, 64% of Americans say people who have lived in the U.S. for years without committing crimes should not be deported. There is a huge appetite for deporting people here illegally who have committed violent crimes, with 88% of Americans thinking that should be done.
But studies find that immigration agents mostly aren’t arresting violent criminals. And the broader public rejects Trump’s indiscriminate approach.
Health care remains a glaring weak spot for the GOP. After devoting their 43-day shutdown to weakening the Affordable Care Act’s tax credits, Republicans are now confronting a country that has moved on—and, in many cases, wants the ACA expanded. Forty-one percent of Americans say it should grow, the poll finds.
Even among Trump voters, 27% want to expand the ACA or keep it as is. Among Republicans overall, 29% say the same. Yes, majorities of those groups still prefer repeal. But the fact that nearly a third of conservatives would preserve or build on the ACA signals how much ground the party has lost—and how quickly Democrats have seized on it heading into the 2026 midterm elections.
Then there’s the backlash facing Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who keeps giving oxygen to long-debunked claims that vaccines cause autism. His efforts to bend the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s messaging—or use his perch to stir skepticism—don’t seem to be landing. According to the poll, 70% of Americans say vaccines are safe, while only 23% voice any real hesitation.
Kennedy Jr.’s own approval numbers reflect that: 36% approve of the job he’s doing, while 47% disapprove.
When voters rank their top concern, the list is unsurprising but politically unforgiving. Inflation dominates the list, with 25% putting it as their most important issue. That is followed by jobs and the economy (16%), health care (11%), and taxes and government spending (7%).
The White House has spent the past several months insisting it’s laser-focused on affordability. But the country isn’t feeling it. Only 3% say the economy is “excellent,” while 38% describe it as “poor” and 33% call it just “fair.” More ominous for Trump: 52% say things are getting worse.
Amid all this frustration, Democrats may have found a small but durable opening. On the generic congressional ballot, they lead Republicans 39% to 32% in The Economist/YouGov poll. Other indicators point in the same direction. FiftyPlusOne shows Democrats ahead by 4.2 points on average, roughly their best showing this year. Decision Desk HQ puts the gap at 5.5 points—an extraordinary shift from mid-January, when Republicans led by 5.3 points.
The larger trend is unmistakable: The GOP’s brand is sagging, and Trump’s struggles are intensifying the drag.
Some Republicans will hug him even tighter heading into 2026. Others will try to put daylight between themselves and the man at the top. But at this point, the party is tied to Trump—bound up in his unpopularity, his priorities, and the political bill that may soon come due.
