New Delhi: US President Donald Trump’s job approval rating among Americans now stands at 34 per cent—the lowest mark in his second term, states a new study by the Pew Research Center. What’s more telling is how it is going down. People are not just judging his policies, but they are also changing how they see him as a person.
The study—conducted from 20 April to 26 April among 5,103 US adults—also finds that public confidence in Trump has fallen on several key issues facing the country.
“One of the steepest declines has been in the share of Americans who say Trump ‘keeps his promises.’ Today, 38 per cent say this describes Trump very or fairly well, down from 43 per cent last August and 51 per cent shortly after his reelection in November 2024,” the study states.
Fewer Americans now see him as “mentally sharp,” with that share coming down from 55 per cent in November 2024 to 48 per cent in August last year to 44 per cent now.
Now, ‘41% say they are very or somewhat confident Trump can make good decisions on immigration policy, down from 46 per cent in August and 53 per cent in 2024.’ Meanwhile, confidence in his ability to use military force wisely has dropped to 38 per cent compared to 46 per cent last summer.
“Confidence in Trump to make good decisions on economic policy has shifted less over this period – 42 per cent express confidence today, while 44 per cent did in August. The economy is among Trump’s best-rated issues, though fewer overall are confident in him than not,” the study states.
Republicans vs Democrats
The trust among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents has also gone down across several measures.
About 68 per cent of the people approve of the way he is handling his job as president, down from 73 per cent in January. Around 70 per cent say the phrase “keeps his promises” fits him fairly well—a drop of six percentage points compared to last year, and 14 points since November 2024.
Confidence in his handling of military decisions has also declined, with 72 per cent claiming they trust him to use force wisely, down 11 points from last year. Republican confidence in his approach to foreign policy has slipped by seven points over the same period.
“By comparison, Democrats and Democratic leaners continue to near-universally disapprove of Trump, little changed from the earliest days of his term. Just 5 per cent today approve of his job performance,” states the study.
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Drop in younger voters
Within Trump’s 2024 coalition, support was once near-unanimous. In the weeks after he took office, roughly nine in ten voters across most demographic groups approved of his performance. But that unity is now fraying, especially among younger and Hispanic voters.
“ (Just) 57 per cent of Trump voters under 35 and 70 per cent of those ages 35 to 49 now approve, compared with 87 per cent of his voters ages 50 and older,” the study states, adding that 66 per cent of Hispanic Trump voters approve of the president, compared with 81 per cent of White Trump voters.
“Trump’s approval rating among his Hispanic voters has declined 27 points since early 2025, compared with a 14-point drop among his White voters,” the study states.
Trump’s approval has also dropped notably among Americans who did not vote in 2024. About 26 per cent of these adults now approve of his job performance, down from 30 per cent in January and 45 per cent in early 2025.
Meanwhile, around 56 per cent say that standards of ethics and honesty in the federal government have declined during Trump’s time in office.