It's a year of rapid change, except when it comes to Trump's approval
numbers, AP-NORC polling finds
[July 28, 2025]
By AMELIA THOMSON-DEVEAUX and JONATHAN J. COOPER
WASHINGTON (AP) — Eric Hildenbrand has noticed prices continue to rise
this year, even with President Donald Trump in the White House. He
doesn’t blame Trump, his choice for president in 2024, but says Gov.
Gavin Newsom and other Democrats who control his home state, California,
are at fault.
“You can’t compare California with the rest of the country,” said
Hildenbrand, who is 76 and lives in San Diego. “I don’t know what’s
going on in the rest of the country. It seems like prices are dropping.
Things are getting better, but I don’t necessarily see it here.”
Voters like Hildenbrand, whose support of the Republican president is
unwavering, help explain Trump’s polling numbers and how they have
differed from other presidents’ polling trajectory in significant ways.
An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll
conducted in March found that 42% of U.S. adults approved of Trump's job
performance. That is a lower rating than those of other recent
presidents at the beginning of their second terms, including Democrat
Barack Obama and Republican George W. Bush.
The most recent AP-NORC poll, from July, puts Trump at 40% approval.
While that is not a meaningful change from March, there is some evidence
that Trump's support may be softening, at least on the margins. The July
poll showed a slight decrease in approval of his handling of immigration
since earlier in the year. Some other pollsters, such as Gallup, show a
downward slide in overall approval since slightly earlier in his term,
in January.
But even those shifts are within a relatively narrow range, which is
typical for Trump. The new AP-NORC polling tracker shows that Trump’s
favorability rating has remained largely steady since the end of his
first term, with between 33% and 43% of U.S. adults saying they viewed
him favorably across more than five years.
Those long-term trends underscore that Trump has many steadfast
opponents. But loyal supporters also help explain why views of the
president are hard to change even as he pursues policies that most
Americans do not support, using an approach that many find abrasive.
Persistently low approval of Trump’s job performance
Trump has not had a traditional honeymoon period in his second term. He
did not in his first, either.
An AP-NORC poll conducted in March 2017, two months into his first term,
showed that 42% of Americans “somewhat” or “strongly” approved of his
performance. That is largely where his approval rating stayed over the
course of the next four years.
The recent slippage on immigration is particularly significant because
that issue was a major strength for Trump in the 2024 election. Earlier
in his second term, it was also one of the few areas where he was
outperforming his overall approval. In March, about half of U.S. adults
approved of his handling of immigration. But the July AP-NORC poll found
his approval on immigration at 43%, in line with his overall approval
rating.
Other recent polls show growing discontent with Trump's approach on
immigration. A CNN/SSRS poll found that 55% of U.S. adults say the
president has gone too far when it comes to deporting immigrants who are
living in the United States illegally, an increase of 10 percentage
points since February.
“I understand wanting to get rid of illegal immigrants, but the way
that’s being done is very aggressive,” said Donovan Baldwin, 18, of
Asheboro, North Carolina, who did not vote in the 2024 election. “And
that’s why people are protesting because it comes off as aggression.
It’s not right.”
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President Donald Trump speaks with supporters before departing on
Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, July 25,
2025, in Washington. The President is traveling to Scotland. (AP
Photo/Alex Brandon)
Ratings of Trump's handling of the economy, which were more positive
during his first term, have been persistently negative in his second
term. The July poll found that few Americans think Trump’s policies
have benefited them so far.
Even if he is not a fan of everything Trump has done so far, Brian
Nichols, 58, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is giving him the benefit
of the doubt.
Nichols, who voted for Trump in 2024, likes what he is seeing from
the president overall, though he has his concerns both on style and
substance, particularly Trump’s social media presence and his
on-again, off-again tariffs. Nichols also does not like the push to
eliminate federal agencies such as the Education Department.
Despite his occasional disagreements with Trump, though, Nichols
said he wants to give the president space to do his job, and he
trusts the House and Senate, now run by Republicans, to act as a
safeguard.
“We put him into office for a reason, and we should be trusting that
he’s doing the job for the best of America,” Nichols said.
Overall views of Trump have been fairly steady since 2019
Trump has spent the past six months pushing far-reaching and often
unpopular policies. Earlier this year, Americans were bracing
themselves for higher prices as a result of his approach to tariffs.
The July poll found that most people think Trump’s tax and spending
bill will benefit the wealthy, while few think it will pay dividends
for the middle class or people like them.
Discomfort with individual policies may not translate into wholesale
changes in views of Trump, though. Those have largely been constant
through years of turmoil, with his favorability rating staying
within a 10-percentage point range through the COVID-19 pandemic, a
felony conviction and attempted assassination.
To some of his supporters, the benefits of his presidency far
outweigh the costs.
Kim Schultz, 62, of Springhill, Florida said she is thrilled with
just about everything Trump is doing as president, particularly his
aggressive moves to deport anyone living in the country illegally.
Even if Trump’s tariffs eventually take effect and push prices up,
she said she will not be alarmed.
“I’ve always had the opinion that if the tariffs are going to cost
me a little bit more here and there, I don’t have a problem with
that,” she said.
Across the country, Hildenbrand dislikes Trump’s personality and his
penchant for insults, including those directed at foreign leaders.
But he thinks Trump is making things happen.
“More or less, to me, he’s showing that he’s on the right track,” he
said. “I’m not in favor of Trump’s personality, but I am in favor of
what he’s getting done.”
___
Cooper reported from Phoenix.
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