Americans’ views of President Donald Trump, already more negative than positive, have continued to slip one year into his second term, according to the latest poling data from the estimable Pew Research Center.*
A new Pew survey of 8512 U.S. adults, conducted Jan. 20-26, also finds that – across six key qualities and abilities needed to serve as president – more Americans express little or no confidence in Trump than say they are extremely or very confident in him.**
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Research at a Glance
- Trump’s approval rating stands at 37%, down from 40% in the fall.
- By more than two-to-one, Americans say the administration’s actions have been worse than they expected (50%) rather than better (21%).
- Only about a quarter of Americans today (27%) say they support all or most of Trump’s policies and plans, down from 35% when he returned to office last year. That change has come entirely among Republicans.
Trump’s Qualities and Abilities as President
“Today, 34% of Americans say they are extremely or very confident that Trump has the leadership skills needed to serve as president. A larger share (51%) are not too or not at all confident. Another 14% are somewhat confident.
“Similarly, about half say they are not too or not at all confident Trump has the mental fitness (52%) or physical fitness (50%) to do the job. Roughly three-in-ten express confidence on these measures.
“Even fewer say they are confident that Trump respects the country’s democratic values (25% are extremely or very confident) or that he picks good advisers (25%).
Americans express the least amount of confidence in Trump to act ethically in office. Just 21% are extremely or very confident he does this, while 60% express little or no confidence,” Pew said.
Similar Declining Pattern Across All Six Qualities Pew Asked About
Pew found that 60% of Republicans said last February that they were extremely or very confident Trump respects the country’s democratic values. It’s 52% today. And while 66% of Republicans say he has the mental fitness to do the job, that’s down from three-quarters last year. Democrats’ confidence in Trump on these measures remains very low.
There has also been a significant decline over the last year in the share of adults who say they agree with Trump’s plans and policies.
- Last year, 35% said they supported all or most of his plans, 17% supported some of them and 47% supported only a few or none.
- Today, 27% say they support all or most, 20% support some and 52% support few or none.
“The decline in support has come exclusively among Republicans. Last year, 67% said they supported all or most of Trump’s plans and policies. Today, 56% do. Very small shares of Democrats say they support his policies. Most (87%) support only a few or none,” Pew said.
Do Republicans in Congress have an obligation to support Trump?
Today, 38% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents say that congressional Republicans “have an obligation to support Trump’s policies and programs because he is a Republican president.” But a far larger share (61%) say GOP members of Congress DO NOT have an obligation to support Trump if they disagree with him. The share saying Republicans in Congress do not have this obligation is up since last year, from 55%.
Other Key Pew Research Findings
- Democrats overwhelmingly say their congressional leadership should stand up to Trump. Today, 82% (up from 70% last year) want to see their leaders pushing back against Trump, even if that makes it harder to address problems. A smaller majority of Republicans (61%) say Trump should stand up to Democratic leaders. This is similar to their views a year ago.
- Nearly half of Americans (47%) now say Trump will be an unsuccessful president in the long term. This share is up 14 points since last year, with most of this change occurring among Democrats. A majority of Republicans continue to say Trump will be successful in the long run.
- Trump’s approval among Republicans is now 73% – down slightly since September. Older Americans, White adults and those without a college degree continue to approve of his performance more than others.
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**About Pew Research Center
Pew Research Center says it is a non-partisan, non-advocacy fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It does not take policy positions. The Center conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, computational social science research and other data-driven research. It studies politics and policy; news habits and media; the internet and technology; religion; race and ethnicity; international affairs; social, demographic and economic trends; science; research methodology and data science; and immigration and migration. Pew Research Center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts, its primary funder.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued the following statement (4 Feb. 2026) after President Donald Trump suggested unconstitutionally federalizing Michigan’s elections and sending federal agents in to take control away from local clerks:
“In Michigan, elections will continue to be run safely and securely at the state level as they have since the state’s founding 189 years ago. Michigan state government, and all other state governments across the United States, will run safe, secure elections as explicitly outlined in the U.S. Constitution.
“Michigan’s elections are safe and secure. They will continue to be run at the state level as clearly stated in the United States Constitution.
“Let me be very clear: any attempt by the federal government to take over Michigan elections should be viewed as an attempt to take away Michiganders’ constitutional right to vote. It won’t happen on my watch.
“Our nation has a long, proud history of running decentralized federal elections, a system designed by our founding fathers to protect our nation against anyone who would seek to take and hold power illegitimately or by force. Because of that system, America remains the longest-running representative democracy in the world. We set a powerful example that we ought to follow.
“More than 1600 Republican, Democratic, and independent clerks across Michigan and the Secretary of State ensure that every citizen can vote and have their vote counted. We certify the accurate results, no matter who wins, and we wish the next officeholder the best of luck as they seek to bring people together and lead us forward.
“That’s what we do in Michigan, and it ought to be how we do things across the nation. This November, Michiganders will work together once again to run another safe, secure election. We will do our constitutional duty, without interference. We will honor the results. And we will move forward together.”