U.S. Polling Data Reveals 60% Disapproval of Trump and Record Low Democratic Trust
A recent poll conducted days before President Donald Trump’s address to Congress found that 60% of Americans disapprove of his job performance.
Yet Democrats have made little progress in convincing the public they offer better solutions, leaving a significant portion of voters expressing trust in neither political party to address the nation’s most pressing challenges.
Additional polling data suggests Democrats are struggling to present viable alternatives to current leadership. A Quinnipiac University survey released on December 17, 2025, showed record-low approval ratings for Democrats in Congress. An AP-NORC poll from February 18 revealed that only about 70% of Democrats viewed their party positively, down from 85% in September 2024.
Trump’s approval rating in the latest survey stood at 39%, with 60% disapproving, including 47% who strongly disapproved. Among registered voters, 41% approved while 58% disapproved. The poll also found that 31% of respondents trust neither Trump nor Democrats in Congress on major issues.
Majorities disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy, tariffs, inflation, and international relations. Inflation drew his weakest approval with 32%. On the economy overall, 41% approved, and the gap between approval and disapproval narrowed compared to a previous survey conducted in October.
The findings indicate potential political opportunities for Democrats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections but also underscore the party’s challenge in translating dissatisfaction with Trump into confidence in its own agenda. When asked who they trust to handle major issues, 33% chose Trump, and 31% selected Democrats in Congress. Another 31% said neither, a share that leaves both parties competing against public cynicism as much as against each other.
Views of Trump’s use of executive authority were also negative: nearly two-thirds (65%) said he has exceeded his authority. A majority (56%) believed he is not committed to protecting Americans’ rights and freedoms. More than six in ten (62%) stated that Trump uses the presidency to enrich himself, while 56% claimed his administration has been transparent in releasing government files from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
In the poll, 85% of Republicans approved of Trump, but Republican enthusiasm softened, with 48% strongly approving—down from 63% a year ago. Meanwhile, 94% of Democrats and 69% of independents disapproved. On immigration, opinions were split on Trump’s call to deport an estimated 14 million undocumented immigrants: 50% supported the goal while 48% opposed it. At the same time, 58% said he is going too far in attempting such deportations—a rise over the past ten months.
On tariffs, the poll showed 34% approval and 64% disapproval. The Supreme Court struck down Trump’s tariff program on February 20, finding that the law did not authorize the tariffs. The survey was conducted among 2,589 U.S. adults from February 12 to 17, 2026 using Ipsos KnowledgePanel, with a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana who holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a law degree from U.I.C. Law School. He has practiced law for over two decades.
