New research points out historical drop in Trump’s approval

Six months after inauguration, Trump bitter the worst approval rate of the second term and sees independent support from crumbling

Six months after taking office for the second time, President Donald Trump sees his approval rate to drop to 37%, the lowest rate recorded during his second term and just above the worst result of his entire presidential trajectory – when he reached 34% at the end of the first government. The data are from the latest Gallup survey, held between July 7 and 21, shortly after the call of the call One Big Beautiful Bill Acton July 4th.

The fall is significant: since the beginning of the new management in JAFNEIRO, Trump’s approval among US adults has retreated ten percentage points. Among independent voters, a group considered crucial to the country’s political balance, rejection was even more pronounced. The positive evaluation fell 17 points, reaching 29% – the lowest level already recorded at any stage of both terms.

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Despite the retraction, the support of the Republicans remains solid, with about 90% of the subtilities affiliated positively evaluating the president’s work. Already among the Democrats, approval follows in the house of simple digits, remaining historically low.

Trump’s new popularity cycle began weeks after the approval of the controversy One Big Beautiful Bill Actlegislation that concentrates several priorities of the President: tax reduction for individuals and companies, increased spending on borders, national defense and energy production. To finance these measures, the project cuts funds for social programs such as Medicaid and SNAP food aidSupplemental Nutrition Assistance Program).

Despite sanctioning one of the most ambitious agendas of his second management, Trump faces popular resistance on virtually every front. Regarding performance in the face of national and international themes, the numbers are negative. The only area with slightly better assessment is the management of the situation with Iran, with 42% approval. Just behind comes international diplomacy (41%), immigration (38%), economy (37%), conflict between Israel and Palestine (36%) and foreign trade (36%). The worst evaluations were recorded in the management of the federal budget (29%) and in the crisis in Ukraine (33%).

Interestingly, except for the case of Iran – which had not been measured earlier during the second term – all other areas show falls compared to the beginning of the year. The federal budget, for example, presented a reduction of 14 points, while immigration and Ukraine fell eight points each.

Among Republicans, there is almost unanimous consensus on Trump’s good performance. International diplomacy leads with 93% approval. Except for Ukraine, with 70%, the other themes range from 81% to 88% within the party. Democrats, on the other hand, grant a maximum of 12% approval – in the case of Ukraine – and the other reviews are in the unit digits. Among the independents, the maximum approval is 36%, also in the issue of Iran. In budget management, this number drops to only 19%.

Historical comparison is not favorable

Trump’s average approval in the second quarter of this year (April to July) was 40%. This index resembles that registered during the same period as its first term (39%), but is well below the historical average of presidents elected after World War II. Overall, the brand for this quarter is usually 59%. The only other president to be below half was Bill Clinton in 1993 with 44%.

Compared to other presidents who have fulfilled two terms, Trump also appears in a delicate position. Richard Nixon, in 1973, had an approval of 44% during the Watergate scandal – the closest to the current one. Barack Obama and George W. Bush were also below 50% in the second quarter of their second mandates. Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton obtained majority approvals at equivalent times.

Sympathy index also retreats

The percentage of Americans who see Trump favorably also fell. 48% shortly after his inauguration in January, the index went down seven points and reached 41%. Among Republicans, approval remains stable at 93%. Already among the Democrats, it remains low, around 4%, without major variations since the beginning of the year. Among the independents, there was a significant reduction: from 47% in January to 34% now.

By closing the second quarter of his second term, Donald Trump can celebrate the approval of much of his political agenda. However, popular acceptance did not follow legislative advances. Apart from the republican nucleus, few Americans seem satisfied with how the president has conducted the country’s business. With an assessment that beats the negative record of the first government and weak performance on essential topics such as economy and immigration, the way for political recovery still seems long.

Trump faces a drop in popularity after six months in office; Deportations and Economics divide public opinion

Six months after taking office for the second time, President Donald Trump sees his popularity plummeting, dividing public opinion between his unshakable support base and the rest of the country, which demonstrates growing dissatisfaction with his management. Despite approving much of its legislative agenda, political wear and tear intensifies, especially on topics such as immigration and economy – areas that, according to CBS News research, are increasingly concerned voters.

Focus on deportations divides opinion

One of the pillars of Trump’s politics since the beginning of the second term has been the hardening of immigration policies, with an emphasis on the deportation of immigrants. However, the popularity of this program has been deteriorating as Americans perceive who is being affected.

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The survey indicates that although the deportation program had a majority support at the beginning of the term, this majority no longer exists. Today, the approval rate is slightly negative, supported almost exclusively by Republicans and voters of the Make America (Make America Again) movement.

What most worries Americans is the perception that the government is not focusing on its action in dangerous criminals, as promised, but deporting more people than expected. In addition, there is a growing rejection of the use of detention centers, with most respondents disapproving of how these spaces are being used.

Hispanic Americans, in particular, report that Latinos are being more targeted in surveillance operations, which they consider unfair. This perception has a direct impact on the approval of both the deportation program and President Trump himself between this group. While in 2024, in the final stretch of the campaign, Trump won the approval of half of Hispanics, today this number fell to a third.

Nevertheless, a significant portion of Americans acknowledges that Trump’s policies have reduced irregular crossings on the border. Still, negative assessment of immigration seems to be more linked to the way the government deals with immigrants already present in the country than to the activity on the border itself.

Economics and Focus Tariffs

While the debate on immigration stems, another critical point of Trump’s agenda also faces popular resistance: the economy. Most Americans are still concerned about the prices of products and services, and expect the government to take more effective measures to combat them.

Seven out of ten respondents say the government is not doing enough to reduce prices. Paradoxically, Trump has given more attention to tariffs – a policy that most Americans disapprove. This puts the president on a collision route with public opinion, who sees inflation as one of the main problems of the country.

Trump’s disapproval of inflation has reached almost two thirds of the interviewees – the highest negative index of his management so far. Moreover, for the first time, most say that the government is focusing too much on cutting spending, which can affect important social programs for many citizens.

Lei “One Big Beautiful Bill” divide opiniões

One of the most ambitious achievements of the Trump administration was the approval of the call One Big Beautiful Bill Actlegislation that brings together several priorities of the president, such as tax reduction and increased spending on security and defense. To finance these measures, however, the project cuts funds from social programs such as Medicaid and SNAP food aid.

The reception of the population to the law has been negative. Six out of ten respondents disapprove of legislation, with most believing that it will benefit the richest and harm the poorest. The portion of the population that sees advantages for the middle or working class is minority.

Despite government dissemination, many Americans are still unaware of the details of the law, indicating that the government will have a long way to convince the public that the measure is beneficial to everyone.

Case Epstein does not affect support base

Meanwhile, the president has faced criticism around the release of documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein case. However, the research indicates that this subject has no major impact on Trump’s overall evaluation, especially among its support base.

Most republicans and voters Maga continue to strongly approve the president’s performance, especially in immigration issues. Although some party members express dissatisfaction with how the government is dealing with the case, the theme is not considered a priority for the presidency’s assessment.

On the other hand, a significant portion of the population – including moderate republicans, republicans and independent voters – believes the archives should be disclosed, with the suspicion that they contain compromising information about powerful figures.

General approval continues to fall

With so many internal and external challenges, Trump’s popularity is still in gradual but constant. Today, his approval rate is approaching 40%, which he remained for much of his first term. The structure behind this negative index is similar: strong support among republicans and majority rejection among other groups.

The CBS News/YouGov survey was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 2,343 American adults interviewed between July 16 and 18, 2025. The margin of error is ± 2.5 percentage points.

Despite important legislative advances, such as the approval of One Big Beautiful Bill ActDonald Trump’s second semester is marked by growing popular dissatisfaction.

The policy of deportations, the economy and the perception of favoring to the richest have negatively affected their image with the general electorate.

With a solid support base, but a rest of the country increasingly distant, the president faces the challenge of reversing this trend in an increasingly polarized political scenario.

With information from Gallup* and CBS News*