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Americans believe Trump has done more harm than good

Two new polls found that Americans believe Trump's policies have been detrimental to their lives

National Affairs Fellow

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President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on March 31, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on March 31, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

New national polls found that Americans are turning on President Donald Trump’s signature policies.

An AP-NORC poll reports that 49% of adults believe Trump’s agenda has done more to hurt them than to help them. Only a quarter of Americans feel they are better off than they were at the beginning of Trump’s term.

The bad feelings were compounded across racial lines. Seven in 10 Black adults feel Trump’s policies are hurting them, compared with six in 10 Hispanic adults and four in 10 white adults. According to the same poll, 58% of Americans disapprove of the job Trump is doing in office, while 40% approve.

A separate poll by YouGov found similar results, with nearly 55% of Americans disapproving of the Trump administration. The poll reported a steady increase in voter disapproval, trending upward by roughly 4% since mid-February,

The AP-NORC poll found that Americans took issue with just about every area of Trump’s handling of the government. Among the areas of greatest disapproval were the economy, government spending, trade negotiations, and healthcare.


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The downward trend for Trump comes at a time of major legislation and policy change in the country. Trump is preparing for final approval of his controversial “big, beautiful bill” from the House before signing it himself.

The bill includes massive cuts for Medicaid and public media, while increasing spending on the military and law enforcement. The bill contains a $178 billion budget increase for Immigration and Customs and Enforcement as Trump hopes to supercharge his mass deportation agenda.

By Garrett Owen

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