(Image Credit: IMAGN) Mar 4, 2025; Washington, DC, USA; U.S. President Donald Trump leaves after addressing a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 04, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump was expected to address Congress on his early achievements of his presidency and his upcoming legislative agenda. Mandatory Credit: Win McNamee-Pool via Imagn Images
Washington D.C. – President Trump faces mounting criticism from Americans across the political spectrum as new polling shows deep dissatisfaction with his second-term performance. According to a survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, Americans are nearly twice as likely to say Trump has been focusing on the wrong priorities rather than the right ones.
The numbers paint a grim picture for the president. About four in ten Americans describe Trump’s second-term performance as “terrible,” and another 10% say he has been “poor.” Only about three in ten rate his performance as “great” or “good,” while less than two in ten call it “average.” While most Americans say they expected a turbulent first few months of the Trump administration, that expectation has not translated into approval or support.
Democrats, in particular, are growing more critical. Three-quarters now say Trump has focused on the wrong issues, and seven in ten label his presidency thus far as “terrible” — a sharp increase from January when six in ten anticipated he would perform poorly. “It has been one of the longest 100 days I’ve ever had to sit through,” said Rahsaan Henderson, a Democrat from California.
Even among Republicans, there are signs of erosion. Although seven in ten still rate Trump as at least a “good” president, only about half believe he has focused on the right priorities. Approval among Republicans has fallen roughly ten percentage points since January, and more are now willing to say Trump could be doing a “poor” or “terrible” job. However, that figure remains relatively small at 16%.
The poll shows Trump’s handling of immigration remains a relative bright spot, with 46% approving of his approach — slightly better than his overall approval rating of about 40%. But on other critical issues like foreign policy, trade, and the economy, Trump’s approval numbers are even lower, signaling potential trouble ahead.
Some Republican supporters expressed frustration, particularly over Trump’s foreign policy moves. Stephanie Melnyk, a Republican from Tennessee, criticized Trump’s handling of the war in Ukraine, calling his approach “a quick fix that’s not going to last.” She added, “He sounds like he can be very condescending… It’s like, dude. You’re not 12.”
Meanwhile, Democrats remain overwhelmingly pessimistic about the Trump presidency. Gabriel Antonucci, a Democrat from South Carolina, said, “It really seems like he is doing everything he can to make the wrong decisions. Things are probably going to be worse in four years than they are right now.”
Just over 100 days into his second term, Trump finds that fulfilling his promises — no matter how aggressive — is doing little to win over a skeptical public.
