Five months into his second term, Donald Trump is confronted with a stark political reality that his team could not have foreseen: his approval ratings have fallen to their lowest levels since he returned to office, exposing significant fractures in public support across nearly every major policy domain. The most recent polling data presents a concerning scenario for a president who vowed to govern differently from his predecessor, yet finds himself struggling with diminishing approval on issues that were once considered his political strongholds.
A new poll released by Quinnipiac University on Wednesday (June 11) indicated that only 38 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s performance as president, while 54 percent express disapproval overall. This marks a considerable decline from his post-inauguration honeymoon phase and signifies the first instance in which Trump’s approval has fallen below 40 percent during his second term.
The trend illustrates a troubling narrative for the Trump administration. Trump experienced an all-time high job approval rating of 46 percent upon his return to office in January. In February, that figure decreased to 45 percent; in March, it dropped to 42 percent; and in April, it fell to 41 percent. The June poll indicates a continuation of this downward trajectory, with Trump losing 3 percentage points since April.
The poll was conducted among 1,265 self-identified registered voters from June 5 to June 9, with a margin of error of 2.8 percent, rendering it a statistically significant reflection of American public sentiment during a notably turbulent time for the administration.
Issue-by-Issue Analysis: Struggles Across the Board
What renders these figures particularly alarming is that Trump is encountering disapproval across nearly every major policy area, including those where he has historically performed well.
Immigration: A Diminishing Force
Perhaps the most unexpected aspect is Trump’s waning support regarding immigration, a topic that has been pivotal to his political identity since 2015. The survey revealed that 43 percent of respondents approved of the president’s management of immigration, whereas 54 percent expressed disapproval. This marks a decrease from April, when 45 percent approved and 50 percent disapproved of his immigration policies.
This decline occurs at a particularly difficult juncture for the administration’s immigration strategy. Trump has deployed the National Guard and subsequently 700 Marines to Los Angeles in response to reports of violence aimed at law enforcement, especially Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conducting deportation operations. Anti-ICE demonstrations have erupted in major cities such as Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Dallas, and Washington, D.C., creating a climate of civil unrest that may be swaying public sentiment.
Regarding deportations specifically, Trump’s approval rating has fallen from 42 percent to 40 percent, while disapproval has risen from 53 percent to 56 percent. This indicates that even Trump’s stringent stance on immigration enforcement is failing to resonate with voters as it previously did.
