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By Sam Stevenson
Associate News Editor
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President Donald Trump’s approval rating among Hispanic voters has fallen sharply in just one week, according to new polling that shows a significant swing against him.
White House spokeswoman Allison Schuster told Newsweek: “President Trump was honored to receive a record level of support from Hispanic Americans that helped fuel his landslide 2024 election victory, and he’s spent every day since his inauguration working to make life better for them, and all Americans.”
Why It Matters
Hispanic voters have long been a contested and politically fluid bloc, especially in close national races.
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A sustained drop could complicate Republican strategy heading into the 2026 midterm elections.
What To Know
New polling from The Economist and YouGov shows Trump’s standing with Hispanic voters deteriorating, even as his overall national numbers remain unchanged.
In a survey conducted February 27 through March 2 among 1,515 U.S. adult citizens, with a plus or minus 3.4 percent margin of error, Trump’s overall job approval stood at 38 percent, with 59 percent disapproving—a net rating of minus 21.
Among Hispanic respondents, 40 percent approved of his performance while 57 percent disapproved, producing a net approval of minus 17.
Just days later, that picture shifted dramatically.
A follow-up Economist/YouGov poll conducted March 6 through March 9, sampling 1,563 U.S. adult citizens, also with a 3.4 percent margin of error, showed Trump’s national approval rating holding steady at 38 percent, with disapproval again at 59 percent.
Hispanic voters, however, moved decisively away from the president.
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Approval among Hispanic respondents fell to 28 percent, while disapproval jumped to 68 percent. That translated into a net approval rating of minus 40—a 19-point swing in the wrong direction in barely a week.
Swings like this often reflect the behavior of voters who are not firmly anchored to either party, according to a polling expert.
Brett Lloyd, polling and research specialist for the Independent Center, said these groups tend to be highly responsive to political turbulence.
"Those ‘soft supporters’ are the ultimate flip-floppers because they’re always looking for the greener grass on the other side," Lloyd told Newsweek. "They’ll bail when things get bumpy, but they usually end up coming back once they realize the other side’s grass is just as brown."
He added that volatility has become a defining feature of modern American politics.
"Until we actually get politicians who can bridge the big divides, these voters are just going to keep jumping back and forth every time they get frustrated."
The contrast between Trump’s stable national numbers and collapsing Hispanic approval highlights how demographic shifts can be masked in topline results.
While the overall electorate appears frozen in place, subgroup movement may still carry major electoral consequences.
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What People Are Saying
Brett Lloyd, polling and research specialist for the Independent Center, told Newsweek: "Presidential approval remains a functional barometer for tracking the momentum of an administration’s start and finish, but its day-to-day utility has diminished. In this polarized era, partisan lenses create a floor and ceiling that rarely budge.
"If you're a Democrat, you disapprove of a Republican President and vice versa. This makes the sentiment of nonpartisan and independent voters the only truly valuable metric left for measuring genuine shifts in leadership standing."
President Trump has publicly dismissed unfavorable polling in recent weeks, telling the New York Post about low approval tied to the Iran war: "I think that the polling is very good, but I don’t care about polling. I have to do the right thing. I have to do the right thing. This should have been done a long time ago."
White House spokeswoman Allison Schuster told Newsweek: “President Trump was honored to receive a record level of support from Hispanic Americans that helped fuel his landslide 2024 election victory, and he’s spent every day since his inauguration working to make life better for them, and all Americans.
“From passing the largest middle-class tax cuts in American history, including No Tax on Tips, Overtime, and Social Security, to defeating Biden’s inflation crisis, hardworking Hispanic Americans are beginning to have some breathing room after four years of economic pain under the Democrats. There’s much more work to do, which is why President Trump and Republicans in Congress will continue fighting to make everyday life more affordable for working families.”
What Happens Next
The key question is whether this shift hardens or proves temporary.
Campaign strategists will be watching closely to see if Hispanic voters continue drifting away or snap back as attention shifts to domestic issues and the midterm battlefield comes into clearer focus.
Update 3/13/26, 09:03 a.m. ET: This article was updated with a new White House statement.
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