Donald Trump is an unpopular president. Is that really the case? Surveys show that a year into his second term, the only president who has had a lower approval rating than him is... himself during his previous presidential term.
The latest Pew Research poll shows that 37% - just over a third of Americans - approve of Trump's job performance. The latest Gallup data from December shows 36% approval and 59% disapproval.
These numbers are not good for any leader in the world, but that does not mean that no one supports him. His approval rating is so low mainly because of his assessment of Democratic voters, among whom Trump's approval rating is measured in single digits.
On the other hand, Trump continues to enjoy the support of a majority of Republican voters. Although it has fallen since the beginning of his term, more than half of Republican supporters still trust him, according to data from "Pew Research".
America is deeply divided
Despite his low overall rating, Trump retains his influence in the Republican Party, especially among supporters of the MAGA movement. "We have a president with historically low support", John Mark Hansen, a political scientist at the University of Chicago, told DW. At the same time, nothing seems to be able to make 80-85% of Republican voters distance themselves from him, he adds.
Thanks to Republican control of Congress, and also to a 2024 Supreme Court decision that granted the president immunity from a number of charges, Trump was able to govern his first year in office largely unopposed. This could change after the midterm elections in November, which will redistribute all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and one-third of those in the Senate.
Of his campaign promises, Trump has fulfilled those to impose higher tariffs and stricter immigration controls, but his promises in the economic sphere - to control inflation, reduce the cost of living, etc. - have not yet been fulfilled.
Trump is losing support among non-partisans
"Usually, the rating of presidents is highest in the first year, and then it tends to fall - partly because he has made unrealistic promises," says Catherine Dunn-Tenpas, a researcher at the University of Virginia, to DW. Specifically, under Trump, approval ratings will depend a lot on what happens to the economy and how citizens feel about it in their own pockets, she adds.
Support from voters who are not members of any party but helped Trump enter the White House has also declined during his first term. "Gallup" data as of December 2025 show that only one in four nonpartisan voters approve of Trump's job performance.
The hardline, and now deadly, approach to immigrants in American cities has angered left-leaning voters, but it could also alienate some centrist and moderate right-wing voters, Tenap said.
Foreign policy is not the most important thing to voters
One year was enough for Trump to show that he can strain relations with US partners and make the world seem less safe.
His tariffs have shaken global trade, his cuts in foreign aid have killed decades of progress in international development, his attacks on Iran and his actions against the former president of Venezuela have surprised those who expect him to work for an isolationist America. His proposal to annex Greenland and Canada to the United States has angered Washington's staunchest allies.
The footage of ICE raids instigated by his administration has also attracted considerable global attention.
But observers say all of this pales in comparison to the key domestic issues that are likely to loom large on the agenda ahead of the midterm elections. Trump has rarely been swayed by negative perceptions of him outside the United States. What matters to the president is how he is perceived at home, as his step back from ICE's brutal actions aimed at de-escalating tensions has shown.
It's clear that a year into his new term and with just over 10 months until the midterm elections, Trump has plenty of time to change attitudes, says Todd Belt, a political scientist at George Washington University. "And the president is a master at distracting, which works to his advantage," he says, adding that while everyone is talking about immigration now, in October in the United States, very different topics may be in the focus of public attention.
Author: Matthew Ward Ages