What is Donald Trump's current approval rating? See the most recent polls – azcentral.com and The Arizona Republic
President Donald Trump‘s approval rating reached its lowest point of his second term in several polls this week as his administration navigates escalating tensions with Cuba and scrutiny over his immigration policies.
The United States has increased its military and intelligence surveillance flights near Cuba, a move that could help carry out Trump’s threat to attack the island nation. Adding to the military buildup, the Navy aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and its escort ships entered the Caribbean on May 20, the same day the Department of Justice announced the indictment of Cuba’s former President Raúl Castro, 94, on murder charges related to the deaths of four American civilians in a 1996 military operation.
In another foreign policy development, Trump said this week that another 5,000 troops would deploy to Poland, an apparent backpedal from an earlier threat to reduce U.S. military presence in the country, as his administration has floated pulling American forces from Europe to punish countries for not supporting his war in Iran.
At home, Trump’s immigration policies continued to receive criticism as California Attorney General Rob Bonta released the California Department of Justice’s fifth report on conditions at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities. The report denounced worsening conditions, with detainees facing “poor access to clean drinking water” and issues with receiving timely medical treatment.
Additionally, according to reports from The Atlantic and Reuters this week, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin privately warned travel executives that the department could stop processing international travelers and cargo at airports in cities that do not cooperate with the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts. Reuters reported the cities discussed included Denver, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Newark, Seattle and San Francisco.
Here’s what to know about Trump’s approval rating, including how they are decided and how Trump’s ratings compare with his first term and past presidents.
Here are the latest approval ratings released about Trump’s administration:
Trump had a final approval rating of 34% when he left office in 2021. His approval average during his first term was 41%.
Data agency Gallup notes that these approval ratings are a “simple measure, yet a very powerful one that has played a key role in politics for over 70 years.”
A president’s approval rating reflects the percentage of Americans polled who approve of the president’s performance. Anything can impact a president’s rating, such as legislation passed, actions and elections.
According to ABC News, an approval rating doesn’t just represent how well the administration is doing for the general public, but could determine the outcome of an upcoming election for a politician or how much they get done during their time in office.
While these ratings are easy to understand, Quorum says some analysts believe they are not as useful as they once were due to extreme partisanship and the polarized political climate.
“Presidential approval ratings have always been partisan, with members of the president’s party offering more positive assessments than those in the opposing party,” according to the Pew Research Center. “But the differences between Republicans and Democrats on views of the president have grown substantially in recent decades.”
USA TODAY Network reporter Maria Francis contributed to this article.
