December 11, 2025
In March 2025, a few months into Donald Trump’s second term, his overall job approval was 42%. Similar shares approved of how he was handling of the economy (40%) and immigration (49%).
Since then, fewer adults have a positive view of how Trump is handling his job overall, the economy, and immigration. Border security remains his best issue on the poll with 50% approval, including getting positive marks from nearly all Republicans, 19% of Democrats, and 36% of independents.
There continues to be stark partisan divisions in how Trump’s job performance is viewed by the public. Overall, 6 in 10 have a negative opinion, including about 9 in 10 Democrats and 7 in 10 independents. Conversely, 8 in 10 Republicans approve of Trump’s handling of the presidency.
Issue-specific approval ratings tend to show a similar pattern with disapproval outweighing approval and largely driven by partisan differences. There is one exception: border security. Half of the public approves of how the president is handling border security.
An extension of health care subsidies is still uncertain. Approval of Trump’s handling of health care was 34% last month; now it’s 29%. Most of the decrease comes from Republicans. In November, 68% of Republicans had a positive view of Trump’s handling of health care. Now, while still a majority, it is down to 59%.
Most adults are also unsettled with the economy. Seven in 10 overall describe the nation’s economy as poor. Democrats and independents are nearly twice as likely to say this with 8 in 10 describing the economy as poor compared with 4 in 10 Republicans.
The nationwide poll was conducted December 4-8, 2025, using the AmeriSpeak® Panel, the probability-based panel of NORC at the University of Chicago. Online and telephone interviews using landlines and cell phones were conducted with 1,146 adults.
- Suggested Citation: AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. “Trump’s approval rating slips on the economy and immigration” (December 2025). https://apnorc.org/projects/trumps-approval-rating-slips-on-the-economy-and-immigration/
