Trump’s Second Term: Shifting Public Perceptions and Policy Priorities
WASHINGTON (AP) — New polling data reveals a significant recalibration of public perception surrounding former President Donald Trump’s second term, marking a distinct shift from the electoral dynamics of his initial presidency. While once bolstered by a robust economy, Trump’s approval ratings on economic issues have softened, pushing border security, crime, and immigration to the forefront as his primary perceived strengths, according to the latest survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Since the outset of his second term, Trump’s overall job approval rating has remained largely consistent, hovering around 39% among U.S. adults this month. This figure represents a return to his average approval after a marginal increase in August, mirroring the narrow range of approval he maintained throughout his first White House tenure. However, a deeper dive into specific policy areas uncovers evolving public confidence.
Border Security: A Resurgent Strength
Border security has emerged as a particularly strong point for Trump in his second term, representing a notable turnaround from 2019. During that period, when he was heavily focused on securing funding for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, only about 4 in 10 Americans approved of his approach to border security. Today, a majority of Americans express approval, giving him higher marks on this issue than his overall job performance or other traditionally strong areas like immigration and crime. This upward trend solidifies border security as a unique and defining strength of his current political standing.
Immigration: Continued Strength with Nuances
His handling of immigration also continues to be perceived as a strength, albeit with a slight recent dip. In March, approximately half of U.S. adults approved of his immigration policies. The most recent poll, however, shows this approval at 43%, still marginally above his overall job approval but down from earlier highs. Despite this minor decrease, immigration remains a stronger issue for Trump than it was in his first term, when approval ratings lingered closer to 40%. A significant segment of the population, about half of Americans, believe Trump has “gone too far” in his efforts to deport undocumented immigrants, a sentiment consistent with an April poll.
Crime: An Advantage, Yet With Nuances
On the issue of crime, Trump’s approval rating stands at 46%, a slight decrease from 53% in August, a period when he notably deployed the National Guard to Washington, D.C., to address public safety concerns. Nevertheless, this figure still surpasses his overall job approval and represents a crucial advantage, particularly among independent voters. Around 4 in 10 independents approve of his approach to crime, a stark contrast to the mere 25% who approve of his presidency overall.
Economic Headwinds and Independent Discontent
The economy, a cornerstone of Trump’s appeal in his first term, now presents a more challenging landscape. Only 37% of U.S. adults approve of his economic stewardship, a modest decline from 43% in August. This figure broadly aligns with his overall approval but signifies a significant area of weakness, especially among independent voters. A mere 2 in 10 independents express approval of Trump’s economic policies, considerably lower than their support for his stances on border security and crime.
During his first term, nearly half of Americans approved of his economic handling, peaking in early 2020 just prior to the sweeping economic downturn triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. While his approval on this front fluctuated during the pandemic, approximately half of Americans still approved of his economic approach just before the 2020 presidential election, though concerns about the coronavirus then overshadowed economic worries. In his second term, economic approval has consistently remained lower, starting at about 4 in 10.
Trade and Healthcare: Persistent Challenges
Among his Republican base, trade negotiations with other countries and health care consistently register as Trump’s lowest-rated issues, with only about 7 in 10 Republicans expressing approval. Across the broader U.S. adult population, these issues fare even worse, with approximately one-third approving of his handling of trade negotiations or health care. These numbers have remained stubbornly low in recent AP-NORC polls and generally track with his overall approval, reflecting similar struggles during his first term.
Public sentiment further indicates widespread disapproval of his approach to international trade. About 6 in 10 U.S. adults believe Trump has “gone too far” in imposing new tariffs on other countries. This sentiment is overwhelmingly shared by Democrats (around 9 in 10), but also significantly by independents (roughly 6 in 10) and even a notable portion of Republicans (3 in 10). Crucially, very few Americans, including Republicans, advocate for further tariff implementation.
Foreign Policy: Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Sees Dip
While Trump’s overall foreign policy approval has remained steady at approximately 4 in 10 U.S. adults since April, his handling of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians has seen a slight decline. Approval for his approach to this complex issue stands at 37%, down from 44% in March. This dip is evident across the political spectrum, with Republican approval falling from 82% in March to 72% currently, and Democratic approval decreasing from 14% to 9% over the same period.
The Associated Press-NORC poll, conducted from September 11-15, surveyed 1,183 adults. The sample was drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, ensuring representativeness of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.
