2025: Americans Gave Trump A Chance, He Blew It.

President Donald Trump is finishing the first year of his second term with his job approval sliding to some of the lowest levels of his presidency, as concerns over prices, health care and his combative governing style weigh on voters. Multiple national polls now show him stuck in the low 40s or high 30s, with clear majorities disapproving of his performance.​

Approval hits new lows

A new NBC News Decision Desk poll powered by SurveyMonkey finds Trump at 42 percent approval and 58 percent disapproval among American adults, leaving him 16 points underwater nationally. The online survey, conducted Nov. 20–Dec. 8 among more than 20,000 adults, shows his rating slipping several points since the spring as views of the economy and health care turn more negative.​​

Other national surveys paint an even bleaker picture. An AP‑NORC poll this month puts Trump’s approval at 36 percent with 61 percent disapproving, while Reuters/Ipsos finds him at 38 percent approval, both registering new lows for his second term.​

Slide from early-term highs

Trump entered his second, nonconsecutive term with stronger numbers, posting 49 percent approval and 41 percent disapproval in an Emerson College survey in January. Gallup reports that his rating has since fallen to 37 percent, a second‑term low and 10 points below where he began the year. During his second-quarter in office this term, Gallup says Trump averaged 40 percent approval, well under the post‑World War II presidential average of 59 percent for that period.​

A CBS News/YouGov tracking series shows a similar downward trend through 2025, with Trump’s overall approval sliding from majority support in February to about 41 percent in a mid‑December sounding. Pollsters note that while fluctuations from survey to survey are normal, the broader trajectory over the year has been negative rather than flat.​​

Erosion among independents and base

The steepest losses have come among independents, who have shifted sharply away from Trump since his inauguration. Gallup finds his approval with independents dropping 17 points this year to just 29 percent, matching his weakest standing with that group in either term.​

Even some of Trump’s core supporters appear less enthusiastic. The latest NBC News Decision Desk survey reports that the share of adults who strongly approve of his job performance has slipped, while the share who strongly disapprove now more than doubles it, 44 percent to 21 percent.​

Economy, prices and policy backlash

Voters cite persistent cost‑of‑living strains as a key reason for their sour mood. In recent polling, more Americans say Trump’s policies are responsible for today’s economy than those of former President Joe Biden, and majorities give him poor marks for handling prices.​

Specific policy areas are also dragging down his numbers. An AP‑NORC survey earlier this month found Trump’s approval on health care at just 29 percent, while support for his handling of the broader economy fell from 40 percent in March to 31 percent now. Still, he retains relatively stronger ratings on border security and immigration enforcement, which remain central themes of his administration.​

Political stakes heading into year two

Historically, presidents enjoy some of their highest approval ratings during the first year of a term, making Trump’s current standing an ominous signal for the rest of his tenure. His sub‑40 averages resemble the weakest stretches of his first term and sit well below the mid‑term norms for modern presidents seeking to push ambitious agendas through Congress.​

Republicans largely continue to back Trump, with his approval among GOP identifiers hovering near 90 percent in Gallup’s readings, but Democrats remain overwhelmingly opposed and independents are increasingly skeptical. Strategists in both parties say that if the president cannot arrest the slide in his approval, it could shape the battlefield for the 2026 midterm elections and define the contours of the next presidential race.​