Dem
47
GOP
53
We mentioned this briefly last week, but a new large-scale poll from Pew Research has largely bad news for Donald Trump. The pollsters talked to 8,512 U.S. adults, a very large sample, from Jan. 20 to Jan. 26. Here are some key results: Trump's approval rating in the poll is at 37%, down from 40% last fall. Only a quarter of the country supports most of his plans. Half the country (50%) says Trump's actions have been worse than expected, while only 21% say they have been better than expected.
Now on to some specific questions:
His best score is on leadership skills, where a mere third of the country thinks he is up to the job and half thinks he is not. On democracy and ethics, about 60% think he is not doing well.
The trend for Trump is down since a year. Here are those trends:
The interesting thing here is the drop among independents and Republicans. They are definitely souring on Trump. Maybe he can turn that around in the next 9 months, but historically that hasn't happened very often. Once the narrative is set, it doesn't change easily. And if he doesn't improve, Trump will be a drag on the ticket in November.
In terms of demographics, 41% of men and just 32% of women approve of the job Trump is doing. Among whites, it is 46%, but among Black voters and Latinos, it is 13% and 26%, respectively. Many of the Black and Latino voters who pulled the lever for Trump in 2024 have pulled back. Trump is strongest among seniors (41%) and weakest among under 30s (30%). Even his support among all Republicans has dropped to 73%, although among conservative Republicans it is at 81%. (V)