After 12 Months in Power, How Do Americans Really Feel About Trump?
After Securing the presidency in November of last year, President Donald Trump surged back into the White House in January with the support of around half of the nation. However, as 2025 draws to a close, he is under criticism on several fronts, even from members of his own party, and his job approval is almost at its lowest point throughout both of his terms.
According to a Gallup end-of-year study, just 36% of Americans are satisfied with the President’s performance. Only 3% of Democrats and 25% of independents fall within this category, compared to 89% of Republicans.
A different YouGov/Economist survey gives a similar result. The survey, which was conducted between December 20 and 22, revealed that 39 percent of Americans are satisfied with the President’s job performance, while 57 percent are not—a net rating of negative 19.
As of late December 2025, the RealClearPolling average of national polls, which takes into account several recent surveys, shows him significantly less in the negative but still double digits underwater, with his overall job approval at roughly 43% and disapproval at roughly 53%.
When several surveys revealed that his ratings had fallen to their lowest point since his return to office last month, the president acknowledged his waning popularity.
“So my poll numbers just went down, but with smart people they’ve gone way up,” he remarked. He then blamed divisions within his conservative base, namely regarding his support for granting visas to certain qualified foreign workers so they could educate Americans in important fields.
He remarked, “I always take a little heat from my people.” He reaffirmed his position on such legal immigration while acknowledging that “sometimes they’re way right.”
Trump’s figures have been impacted by a number of factors, both then and now, including inflation, the high cost of living, his stance on immigration, and the way he handled the files pertaining to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The deterioration in the President’s approval rating as the year draws to a close comes after a brief increase following that November low: YouGov polls showed that Trump’s net approval had risen to negative 13 and negative 14 during the preceding two weeks before falling back to negative 19.
In its most recent survey, Gallup found that 48% of Americans thought Trump was a “strong and decisive leader,” but only 30% thought he was trustworthy and honest, and 34% thought he put the concerns of people like them first. Additionally, opinions of the President’s performance in a number of important policy areas have drastically declined in the months since the start of his second term, according to Economist/YouGov surveys conducted this year.
The Epstein records
Throughout his second term, Trump’s connection to Epstein and the way his administration handled the matter have been contentious issues that have drawn condemnation from both his supporters and some of his congressional friends as well as the right-wing media.
According to a recent Economist/YouGov survey, less than half of self-described MAGA Republicans strongly support Trump’s handling of the Epstein investigation. When considering Americans as a whole, the figures go much worse: according to the survey, 55% of Americans—including 81% of Democrats and 59% of independents—disapprove or somewhat disapprove of Trump’s handling of the matter.
Epstein has long been the focus of criticism and conspiracy theories, especially on the right. Prior to Trump’s reelection, some of his supporters fueled rumors about the case and advocated for their release on the grounds that they would reveal grave crimes perpetrated by influential individuals.
Despite the President’s attempts to minimize the problem as a “Democratic hoax,” Trump and Administration officials caused controversy this year by opposing the files’ widespread release. Last month, Trump changed his mind and urged Republicans to support and sign a bill that would force the data to be made public. However, the Department of Justice’s initial, extensively redacted, and partial release of records related to Epstein under the measure, together with the remarkably few references to Trump in the files the department made public, have sparked fresh attention to the matter.
As with his handling of the matter in general, opinions on Trump’s personal connections to Epstein are divided. According to the Economist/YouGov survey, 47% of Americans think the President is attempting to hide Epstein’s misdeeds, and 46% believe he was complicit. However, 80% of MAGA Republicans disagree.
Trump has denied any involvement with Epstein and any prior knowledge of the disgraced financier’s offenses.
Trump’s campaign of pressure on Venezuela
During his second Administration, Trump’s increasing pressure campaign against Venezuela has also generated a lot of controversy. This includes the deadly attacks his Administration has carried out on alleged cartel boats in the region, the blockade he has imposed on some oil tankers entering and leaving the country, and his threats to carry out land strikes.
Only 31% of Americans agree with Trump’s strategy in Venezuela, while 49% disagree. Additionally, 40% of respondents opposed the oil blockade, compared to 35% who supported it.
The majority of Americans are even more against using force in the nation. According to the Economist/YouGov survey, only 22% of Americans are in favor of the United States employing military force to remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, while 52% are against it.
Only 19% of respondents are in favor of a full invasion, while 60% are against it.
Parties differ in their opinions, but the majority of Republicans likewise reject such measures: 34% are against a possible invasion, while 43% support it.
74% of Americans, including 93% of Democrats, 73% of independents, and 58% of Republicans, believe that Trump should seek congressional approval before employing military force in Venezuela. The majority of Americans do not consider Venezuela to be a serious threat. Just 18% of respondents believe there is a national emergency, while 53% disagree. In contrast, opinions on whether Maduro’s administration qualifies as a terrorist organization—a designation Trump made earlier this month—are divided along party lines, with 51% of Republicans and only 8% of Democrats agreeing.
Immigration
In his 2024 campaign, Trump prioritized immigration, pledging to implement the “largest deportation” campaign in American history. Since taking office again, he has implemented a stringent immigration policy that has resulted in his administration severely restricting legal immigration paths in addition to stepping up enforcement activities and contentious raids to combat illegal immigration.
An AP-NORC survey from December 4–8 found that half of Americans support Trump’s immigration and border security policies, a decrease of almost 10 percentage points since March.
His stance on the matter is sharply divided along party lines. Just 19% of Democrats and 36% of independents support Trump’s border crackdown, compared to 92% of Republicans.
According to the Economist/YouGov survey conducted in late December, Americans continue to have the highest positive opinion of Trump when it comes to immigration. However, the net rating fell from a positive 14 points in March to a negative 6 in the most recent survey, indicating an even more pronounced decline in support for his handling of the matter since earlier this year.
The financial system
The country’s economic trajectory and President Donald Trump’s approach to the matter are drawing more and more criticism from the populace. At -33, the Gallup Economic Confidence Index is at its lowest level since July 2024. Roughly seven out of ten individuals, including eight out of ten Democrats and independents and four out of ten Republicans, say the economy is “poor,” according to the AP/NORC poll.
In a roughly 20-minute speech last Wednesday from the White House, Trump praised his own economic initiatives while blaming Democrats for cost-of-living issues despite their lack of legislative authority for the most of the year. This took place under a Democratic government. And that’s when we first heard the term “affordability,” he added. “We have improved Washington more in the last 11 months than any administration in American history. It is unlike anything that has ever existed.
According to the AP/NORC poll, public discontent with Trump’s economic strategy has increased since March, when 40% of respondents supported his economic stewardship. Since then, that figure has decreased by nine points, reflecting the general decline in his level of job satisfaction.
However, opinions on how he has handled the economy are starkly political. Compared to nearly seven out of ten Republicans, fewer than one in ten Democrats and roughly three out of ten independents now have a favorable opinion of Trump’s handling of the matter.
The Economist/YouGov survey also revealed sharp declines in Americans’ opinions of Trump’s management of the economy and jobs, with net approval falling from a positive 12 points in January to a negative 17 points in late December. During the same time span, the figure for his approach to prices and inflation dropped even more dramatically, from a positive 6 to a negative 28.
Congress’s disapproval and the path the United States is taking
As the year draws to a close, Congress also faces historically low approval, according to Gallup. Lawmakers passed Trump’s wildly unpopular Big Beautiful Bill, reached a spending impasse that resulted in the longest government shutdown in the nation’s history, and failed to reach a health care agreement prior to the impending expiration of subsidies for coverage on the Affordable Care Act marketplace, which is predicted to cause a spike in insurance premiums for millions of Americans in the upcoming year.
The legislative branch is only approved by 17% of Americans, with Republicans approving it at 29% and Democrats at an even lower 24%.
As 2025 draws to a close, only 24% of people are satisfied with the nation’s overall course.
