Survey held from February 13 to 17, 2025, online and by telephone, along with 1,206 adult Americans recruited through a probability panel
In the first month of Donald Trump’s second term as president, his approval rate, conducted by SSRS, is negative, but is still above the level that reached at any time of his first four years of office.
However, there are signs in the survey that the warmest reception Trump received this time can be a fleeting, as optimism as to his return to office has decreased since December. A vast majority consider that the president is not doing enough to solve the high prices problem of daily consumer goods. And 52% say Trump went too far to use his presidential power, with majorities similar to suspicious of his momentum to end federal agencies and raise Elon Musk to a prominent role in his efforts to remodel the government.
Americans are divided as to Trump’s performance in office to date, with 47% approval and 52% disapproval, below the start-up classifications of any recent presidency other than yours. For most of the public, Trump’s actions are meeting his expectations: three quarters of respondents claim that the way Trump is managing the presidency is in accordance with his expectations, while 25% say he did so An unexpected form, similar to what they felt at the beginning of their first term.
In total, 41% say Trump is managing the presidency as expected and that the fact that he is meeting his expectations is positive. Almost all who feel caught by surprise describe this as bad, but the group that feels negatively surprised by Trump’s attitudes represents only 21% of all Americans.
Rise
Most adults across the country, 55%, say Trump has not paid enough attention to the country’s most important problems and 62% think he was not far enough in an attempt to reduce the price of everyday goods. A considerable part of the parties shares this last opinion, including 47% of Republicans, 65% of independents and 73% of Democrats. In the January January poll, the economy has eclipsed all other issues as the main concern of Americans.
These are more those who describe themselves as pessimistic or afraid when they look at Trump’s second term (54%) than those who claim to be enthusiastic or optimistic (46%). In December, 52% were on the positive side and 48% on the negative side. It should be noted that the percentage of people who claim to feel “fear” rose 6 points to 35%, increasing in a virtually equal proportion in all party lines.
Support to Trump also seems to be fading among some traditionally democratic demographic groups, with which he has raid last year’s elections. A CNN survey revealed that 57% of young people between 18 and 34 years old, 50% of Hispanic adults and 30% of black adults approved how Trump was managing the presidential transition. Now that Trump has taken office, their approval rates with these groups are 41% among young people and Hispanic adults and 23% among black adults.
Hispanic and black adults are much more likely than the whites of saying that Trump has dealt with the presidency of a way they did not expect (35% among Hispanic adults and 30% among black adults, compared to 20% among those White adults), and to see this as a bad thing (29% among Hispanic and 24% among blacks, compared to 16% among whites).
Distrust about Trump’s power
About half of the Americans considers that Trump exaggerated the use of presidency and executive power (52% say it was too far, 39% that was more or less correct and 8% that was not far enough). The wide majorities of Democrats (87%) and independent (57%) consider that they went too far in the use of the presidency powers. Republicans disagree to a large extent, but few of Trump’s own supporters are crying out so that it goes further than it has been: 75% say that its use of presidential power has been correct, 11% think it was too far away and 13% that was not far enough.
A considerable percentage is skeptical of the president’s efforts to reduce government programs and end federal agencies. About half (48%) says he went too far in changing the way the US government works, with 32% saying that its approach was more or less correct and 19% say it was not far enough. A larger percentage says that Trump went too far to cut federal government programs (51%), which is bad to have tried to end entire agencies, such as the US agency for international development and the consumer financial protection office (53% ) and that it is bad to have given musk a prominent role in its administration (54%).
Trump’s suggestion that the US take over Gaza control and prevent Palestinians from returning is the least popular with the first proposals they presented and were tested on the poll. In total, 58% consider this idea bad, including 86% of Democrats, 60% of independents and 27% of Republicans. A plurality of Republicans adopts a neutral position (47% do not consider it neither good nor bad) and only 26% consider it positive.
However, some of the president’s first measures raise a more terminue opposition. With regard to the deportation of immigrants who illegally live in the US, 39% say that Trump’s approach has been more or less correct and another 16% say it was not far enough, surpassing the 45% that say Trump was too far away In this respect. And 42% consider that it is bad that Trump sought to end diversity, equity and inclusion in the federal government, modestly surpassing the 37% that say it is good, with 20% neutral on the subject.
Frustrated opposition
Democrats and independent of Democratic trend are generally dissatisfied with Trump’s reaction by Democrats in Congress. Almost three bedrooms (73%) say the party bench in Congress is doing very little to oppose Trump, with only 22% saying they are doing the right amount and 5% say they are overdoing.
However, republicans and independent republicans consider that the Republican party in Congress is making the right amount to support the president (64%), with another 24% say they are doing very little to support him and 12 % say they are doing too much. Republican -aligned adults are more likely than white adults aligned with Republicans to say that the party is doing too much to support Trump (21% among republicans/independent color against 8% among whites aligned with with the Republicans).
The sense of urgency that Democrats and independent with democratic tendency feel is evident in their opinions about the challenges of Trump’s mandate. In the new survey, 70% of Democrats -aligned adults said they see American democracy as under attack, against 49% they felt like this in the fall of 2023, and 63% say they are afraid when looking at Trump’s rest. Adults aligned with democrats who say democracy is under attack are much more likely than other democrats saying that their party’s response to Trump is inadequate (82% say that compared to 58% among those who feel that the democracy is under threat instead of attack).
This vision of the left is strongly contrasts with the republican party’s view. Among Republicans and Independents with a republican tendency, only 23% consider that American democracy has been attacked, against 61% that said the same for about a year and a half, and 87% described as enthusiasts or optimists in relation to Trump’s next term.
With many of Trump’s early actions already facing legal challenges, the poll also concludes that few Americans trust in the Supreme Court deep to make the right decisions in any legal cases related to the Trump administration. Only 41% of respondents have at least moderate confidence in the Supreme Court, with a 66% peak among Republicans. But few, in any party, express great confidence in the Supreme Court to address any cases on the subject: 19% of Republicans, 7% of independents and 6% of Democrats think so.
