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President Donald Trump enters his State of the Union address facing some of the weakest approval ratings of his presidency, according to a series of national polls released in recent days that show growing dissatisfaction with his handling of the economy, immigration and inflation.
Only 39% of Americans approve of Trump’s job performance, according to a Washington Post–ABC News–Ipsos poll released Sunday. Nearly half of respondents — 47% — said they “strongly disapprove” of the president’s performance.
The erosion is most pronounced among independents. A CNN poll released Monday found just 26% of independents approve of Trump’s handling of the presidency, a steep 15-point decline from a February 2025 survey.
Economy and inflation weigh heavily
Trump is also underwater on issues that have defined his second term. In the Washington Post–ABC News–Ipsos poll, 57% of respondents disapproved of his handling of the economy, while 65% disapproved of his approach to inflation. Immigration — long one of Trump’s strongest issues politically — drew 58% disapproval, and 64% said they disapproved of how he is handling tariffs.
Only 38% of adults said Trump’s policies are moving the country in the right direction, according to CNN’s survey.
The public mood appears similarly grim in polling ahead of Tuesday’s address to Congress. A NPR–PBS–Marist University poll found that 57% of Americans believe the state of the union is “not very strong” or “not strong at all.”
Sharp partisan divide
Views of the country’s direction remain deeply polarized. The NPR/PBS/Marist poll found that 79% of Democrats said the state of the union is not strong, while 77% of Republicans said it is “on solid ground.”
Six in ten Americans said the nation is worse off than it was a year ago, including 90% of Democrats and 68% of independents. By contrast, 82% of Republicans said the country is better off.
More than half of respondents in the CNN poll said they want Trump to focus on the economy or cost of living during his speech — an issue that has increasingly defined voter dissatisfaction.
White House dismisses polling
The White House downplayed the results. Spokesman Davis R. Ingle said Trump’s legitimacy rests on his 2024 victory.
“The ultimate poll was November 5th, 2024, when nearly 80 million Americans overwhelmingly elected President Trump,” Ingle said in a statement. “The President has already made historic progress not only in America but around the world.”
Trump himself rejected the surveys, accusing pollsters of bias.
“I saw [a fake poll] today, that I’m at 40 percent. I’m not at 40 percent,” Trump said Monday at the White House. “The real polls say you’d kill anybody. It wouldn’t even be close.”
GOP support softens slightly
While Trump remains popular within his party, even Republican support has slipped. The CNN poll found 82% of Republicans approve of Trump’s performance, down eight points from a year ago. The Washington Post–ABC News–Ipsos poll found that 48% of Republicans “strongly approve” of Trump, down from 63% last year.
Those shifts come as Democrats see opportunity heading into the 2026 midterms, betting that persistent concerns about affordability, tariffs and inflation could blunt Trump’s ability to frame the economy on his terms.
Trump is scheduled to deliver his State of the Union address Tuesday night from the U.S. Capitol.
