Various 2025 survey datasets from multiple pollsters paint a stark picture of falling approval for Donald Trump. The widespread dissatisfaction over his leadership even extends beyond traditional partisan lines.
Satisfaction and Approval Ratings of U.S. President Donald Trump Have Continued to Decline in the First Year of His Second Term
Assessments indicating that United States President Donald Trump is on his way to becoming one of the most unpopular presidents at the first-year mark in the history of the U.S. presidency are anchored on survey data from multiple and established pollsters. Data from the Washington Post and ABC News Poll showed that only 39 percent of Americans were satisfied with his performance in his first 100 days. Poor satisfaction and approval ratings have since then marked the first year of his second term.
Results From Lats 2025 Polls
A poll from Numbers and Verasight showed that Trump held a negative 15 percent approval rating based on the first 7 months of his second term. Overall support was only at 41 percent nationwide. Another second-quarter poll from Gallup also revealed a mere 37 percent approval rating. Note that this is the lowest rating for his second-term U.S. presidency.
Note that the June and July 2025 polls were mixed. Specific tracking in late June by The Economist and YouGov showed approval around 45 percent. On the other hand, remember that a Gallup poll released in July reported a decline to 37 percent. The disparities can be attributed to differences in polling methodologies, like sampling and weighting choices.
It is still important to underscore the fact that the polls by The Economist and YouGov indicate a decline in approval ratings and an increase in disapproval ratings. Trump had 46 percent approval and 51 percent disapproval in the May-June 2025 survey. These went down to 43 percent approval rating and 54 percent disapproval rating in the early July survey.
Results from the November 2025 poll by The Economist and YouGov showed dramatic changes from earlier numbers. Approval was down to 38 percent, and disapproval was up to 56 percent. All data used by these pollsters came from a nationally representative sample of about 1500 registered voters in the United States who participated in online surveys.
Another November 2025 poll from Reuters and Ipsos surveyed 1017 adults across the U.S. and showed an approval at 38 percent. Note that Trump had a 36 percent approval rating in November of his first year during his first term. Former U.S. President Joe Biden, on the other hand, had above 44 percent in the same month during his first year in 2021.
Polling data aggregate from RealClearPolling.com revealed 42.7 percent job approval and 55.1 percent job disapproval as of the last week of November 2025. These data come from an aggregate of hundreds of pollsters, media organizations, and other research firms. These include Big Data Poll, CBS News, Fox News, and Quantus Insights, among others.
Notable Drivers of the Decline
The most consistent pattern across all reputable polls from the late second quarter to the first half of the fourth quarter is that the approval rating of Donald Trump has been trending downward. The direction is strikingly uniform. This is true across different methodologies, including online panels, phone-based probability samples, and mixed-mode national polls.
Several issues are making the U.S. president unpopular. Reuters noted that its November poll was driven by high prices and the controversy over the Epstein files. Only 26 percent of the sample approved of how the second Trump administration is handling everyday expenses. Most also think that the government is hiding critical details on the Epstein files.
Moreover, according to the particular Income Paradox Survey published in November 2025, even six-figure earners describe their financial condition as stretched or struggling, with groceries and household necessities as their main source of financial burden. The poll was conducted by Harris Insights and Analytics and involved a sample of 2109 U.S. adults.
The decline is also driven by erosion among moderate and minority voters. An earlier survey by the Associated Press-NORC Center found that 71 percent of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander viewed Trump negatively. The survey also showed discontentment and fears in his economic families and worries about economic recession.
Large public demonstrations across the country, which are part of the No Kings series of protests that started in June 2025, have demonstrated actual dissatisfaction. The October 2025 protest alone drew 7 million attendees. These protests have been staged in various U.S. cities to voice what the organizers describe as authoritarian policies and actions of Trump.
The Republican base is also divided. The presence of far-right factions like the Groypers is a sign of division. A poll by The POLITICO Poll also showed that more than 30 percent of Republicans who voted for Trump in 2024 do not consider themselves MAGA Republicans and are much more likely to blame the U.S. president for the state of the U.S. economy.
FURTHER READINGS AND REFERENCES
- Balz, D., Clement, S., and Guskin, E. 27 April 2025. “Trump Approval Sinks as Americans Criticize His Major Policies.” The Washington Post. Available online
- Brenan, M. 24 July 2025. “Independents Drive Trump’s Approval to 37% Second-Term Low.” Gallup. Available online
- Garcia, C. November 2025. “2025 Poll: Many U.S. Six-Figure Earners Are Also In Survival Mode.” Konsyse. Available online
- Lange, J. and Reid, T. 19 November 2025. “Exclusive: Trump Approval Falls to Lowest of His Term Over Prices and Epstein Files, Reuters/Ipsos Poll Finds.” Reuters. Available online
- Lewis, M. 22 August 2025. “Gallup Poll: Trump’s Q2 2025 Approval Falls Near Record Low.” Konsyse. Available online
- n.d. “President Trump Job Approval.” RealClearPolling. RealClearHolding. Available online
- The Economist and YouGov. n.d. “Donald Trump.” YouGov. Available online
- The Harris Poll. November 2025. Income Paradox Survey: Insights on Six-Figure Earners Who Still Feel Financial Squeeze. Harris Poll. Available via PDF
- Wren, A. 28 November 2025. “How Trump’s Base Could Break.” Politico. Available online