Poll: Perceptions of the Trump Administration

This Navigator Research report covers the latest perceptions of the Trump administration, including who battleground constituents trust most to reform the government, and how constituents feel about the direction of the economy under President Trump.

The top three issues battleground constituents think Congress should prioritize are threats to democracy (37 percent), inflation and the cost of living (34 percent), and government spending and debt (26 percent).

Among Democrats, threats to democracy far outpaces all other issues (63 percent, with inflation and the cost of living coming in second at 29 percent) while among Republicans, government spending and debt (46 percent) and inflation and the cost of living (39 percent) far surpass threats to democracy (just 12 percent). Among independents, the divide is much closer: 36 percent want Congress to prioritize inflation and the cost of living, 35 percent say the same about threats to democracy, and 29 percent want Congress to prioritize government spending and debt.

• Three in four battleground constituents rate the economy negatively (74 percent negative – 25 percent positive) and a plurality believe the U.S. economy will be worse off a year from now (net +6; 47 percent worse – 41 percent better, with just 8 percent saying it will be about the same).

Trump’s overall approval rating and his economic approval are both underwater.

A plurality of battleground constituents have an unfavorable view of President Trump (net -5; 47 percent favorable – 52 percent unfavorable), and his overall job approval rating (net -7; 46 percent approve – 53 percent disapprove) and handling of the economy (net -5; 47 percent approve – 52 percent disapprove) are underwater by similar margins. An even smaller share of battleground constituents are favorable towards Elon Musk (net -10; 54 percent unfavorable – 44 percent favorable).

• Battleground constituents’ top two concerns when it comes to recent spending cut efforts by Trump and Republicans are that “Donald Trump and Republicans are allowing Elon Musk and other unelected billionaires to have too much power in the government” (30 percent), followed by “Donald Trump and Republicans are allowing Elon Musk and other unelected billionaires to have too much power in the government” (21 percent).

Across all issues, battleground constituents generally favor messages about Democrats in Congress delivering positive steps instead of simply blocking Trump and Republicans in Congress.

Nearly nine in ten battleground constituents support Democrats in Congress working to pass a middle class tax cut (net +79; 87 percent support – 8 percent oppose), and though nearly three in five constituents support Democrats in Congress standing up to efforts to cut taxes for billionaires and large corporations (net +23; 58 percent support – 35 percent oppose), support is lower for opposition to Trump and Republicans’ agenda than proactive support for passing middle class tax cuts.

• More than nine in ten battleground constituents across partisanship support Democrats in Congress creating incentives for companies to bring back good manufacturing jobs to the U.S. (93 percent overall, including 94 percent of Democrats, 90 percent of Republicans, and 93 percent of independents) and banning members of Congress from trading stocks (91 percent overall, including 89 percent Democrats, 95 percent Republicans, and 88 percent of independents).

• Majorities of battleground constituents support Democrats in Congress trying to prevent Elon Musk from having access to Americans’ personal data (net +25; 58 percent support – 33 percent oppose) and trying to stand up to Elon Musk’s efforts to eliminate government programs that people rely on (net +16; 53 percent support – 37 percent oppose)

• By a 42-point margin, battleground constituents support the actions that Democrats in Congress are taking to “prevent the Executive Branch from weaponizing the government to attack groups they disagree with politically” (net +42; 67 percent support – 25 percent oppose).