Republicans’ growing pessimism about America’s path under the Trump administration.
The Associated Press reported that a new poll by the Associated Press and the Nork Institute shows that since June, the share of American adults who say their country is on the wrong track has risen by 13 percentage points, from 62 percent to 75 percent.
The shift has occurred largely among Republicans who are Trump’s own party. In June, 29 percent of Republicans said their country was on the wrong track. Now, 51 percent of Republicans hold that view.
Meanwhile, a vast majority of Democrats have felt their country was on the wrong track since Donald Trump won the 2024 election.
Among Republicans, there are significant differences in views by age and gender: Those under 45 are more likely than older Republicans (61 percent to 43 percent) to say the country is off track, and Republican women are more likely than Republican men to agree (60 percent to 43 percent).
Opinions about Trump’s performance are highly partisan. Support for Trump is mixed on how he is handling border security (55 percent) and crime (46 percent). Only about four in 10 approve of his handling of health care, trade, the economy, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, foreign policy and immigration.
Overall, 39 percent of American adults approve of Trump’s performance, while 60 percent disapprove.
Nearly 60 percent of Americans feel that Trump has gone too far in imposing new tariffs on other countries, using presidential power to achieve his goals, and using the military or federal law enforcement in American cities.
Nearly all Democrats believe that Trump has gone too far in all of these policy areas.
Among Republicans, most approve of Trump’s actions in these areas, but about a quarter believe that his deployment of the National Guard and his use of presidential powers have gone too far, and about a third feel that Trump has gone too far in imposing new tariffs.
The results also indicate dissatisfaction with American political leaders, both Republican and Democratic. With 54 percent of American adults saying they have an unfavorable opinion of Trump, and most describing him as “very unfavorable.” A similar share, about 53 percent, said they have an unfavorable opinion of the Democratic Party. 51 percent also said their views of the Republican Party were unfavorable.