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By Sam Stevenson
Associate News Editor
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President Donald Trump is entering politically dangerous territory, with voters increasingly anxious about the economy, health care costs, and his overall policy focus, according to a spate of recent polls.
White House spokesperson Kush Desai told Newsweek via email: "President Trump campaigned on fixing Joe Biden’s economic disaster and border crisis. By every metric, he is delivering—inflation has cooled, GDP growth is accelerating, and the border is sealed."
Why It Matters
Multiple independent surveys reported diminished confidence in Trump’s handling of core domestic issues and a preference that he prioritize the economy over foreign policy, conditions that historically correlate with midterm losses for the president’s party.
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What To Know
A series of new national surveys found voters souring on the economy, voicing concerns about health care costs, and saying Trump is overemphasizing foreign policy as his approval slid to a second-term low.
1. Fox News Poll: 54% Say Country Worse Off
A new Fox News national survey conducted January 23–26 finds that 54 percent of registered voters believe the country is worse off than before, while Trump’s approval stands at 44 percent.
It also found that 7 in 10 think the economy is in bad shape, which is unchanged since last January.
The poll used a random sample of 1,005 registered voters reached through live landline and cellphone interviews, as well as online responses via text invitation.
It carried a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points, with weighting applied across age, race, education and region to reflect the national electorate.
The result reinforces a core challenge for any incumbent: once voters conclude the economy is moving in the wrong direction, that perception tends to be sticky.
This survey’s mixed‑mode design and professional weighting place it in line with other reputable polls showing persistent cost‑of‑living concerns that have weighed on Trump’s numbers for months.
2. Approval Rating Hits New Low in Extensive Survey
A separate large‑scale Pew Research Center survey of 8,512 U.S. adults, fielded January 20–26 with a margin of error of plus or minus 1.4 percentage points, recorded Trump's approval at a new low at 37 percent, down from 40 percent in the fall.
Because of its unusually large sample, this dataset tends to smooth out noise, meaning shifts here are usually meaningful.
Approvals falling within this broad national sample generally signal deeper discontent spreading across demographic groups, not just within partisan blocs.
The same survey also revealed a notable erosion of confidence among Republicans themselves. A year ago, two‑thirds of Republicans and GOP‑leaning independents—67 percent—said they backed all or most of Trump’s policies and plans.
That share has now fallen to 56 percent, a decline concentrated entirely within the party rather than among Democrats, whose views were already overwhelmingly negative.
The downturn shows growing reluctance among Republicans to say GOP lawmakers owe Trump automatic loyalty and a weakening belief in his fitness for office.
These shifts inside his own coalition add a new layer of vulnerability on top of the broader fall in his approval rating.
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3. Health Care Concerns
A new KFF Health Tracking Poll, conducted January 13–20, 2026, among a nationally representative sample of 1,426 U.S. adults, shows that 66 percent of Americans worry about being able to afford health care for themselves or their families.
Rising health costs have historically been one of the most potent predictors of midterm behaviour, often driving frustration among suburban and older voters.
KFF’s poll used a mix of online and telephone interviews drawn from the SSRS Opinion Panel and a prepaid cellphone random‑digit‑dial sample designed to reach underrepresented groups.
After standard quality checks and weighting to U.S. population benchmarks, the poll carried a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points, accounting for the design effect and the combined sample structure.
Additional insight comes from a new Angus Reid Institute online poll of 1,838 U.S. adults, fielded January 16–20.
The study found that while Republicans who identify with the MAGA movement remain firmly supportive of Trump across most major issues, they showed more mixed reactions to changes in household health‑care costs.
Non‑MAGA Republicans, meanwhile, expressed strongly negative views about affordability.
That gap within the party highlights a rare vulnerability for Trump on an issue with real electoral weight.
The Angus Reid survey’s structure, sample size and clear field dates ensure its findings can be compared meaningfully with the broader trend of escalating anxiety about costs. The poll was weighted to reflect the U.S. adult population by region, gender, age, income and education using Census benchmarks.
For comparison only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of about plus or minus 2 percentage points at the 95‑percent confidence level.
4. Foreign Policy Doubts
Pollsters at the AP‑NORC Center for Public Affairs Research conducted a national survey from January 8 to 11 using its probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, interviewing 1,203 adults.
With a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points, the poll found that 56 percent of Americans believed Trump had "gone too far" in deploying U.S. forces abroad. The fieldwork took place shortly after the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and the results reflected broader unease with the administration’s foreign policy.
A majority—57 percent—said they disapproved of Trump’s handling of Venezuela.
Opinion broke sharply along partisan lines. While most Democrats and independents expressed concern about the president’s actions, 71 percent of Republicans said his response was "about right."
AP‑NORC’s methodology relied on a nationally representative, probability‑based recruitment process with standard weighting to ensure the sample accurately reflected the U.S. adult population.
5. ICE: Confidence Falls, Support for Abolition Surges
A separate Economist/YouGov poll shows public confidence in ICE sliding sharply, with 55 percent now saying they have very little confidence in the agency—up ten points since mid‑December—and 51 percent supporting cuts to its funding.
The survey was conducted online January 23–26, 2026, among 1,684 U.S. adults (including 1,520 registered voters) drawn from YouGov’s opt‑in panel and weighted across multiple demographic and political variables; it carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.
Support for abolishing ICE has also climbed sharply, rising from 19 percent in late 2024 to 44 percent this month, according to Civiqs data, with more than seven in ten Democrats—75 percent—now backing the idea.
White House Pushback
The broader national trend contrasts sharply with pro‑Trump polling promoted by his allies.
In a recent Newsmax TV appearance, Republican pollster Patrick Allocco argued that Trump’s support remains solid among Republicans and GOP‑leaning voters who embraced his agenda in both campaigns.
"Poll after poll is showing us that between 88 percent and 96 percent of Republicans who voted for him in 2024 are still supportive of him today," Allocco said.
The White House has pointed to different evidence. Officials cite a Harvard CAPS–Harris Poll conducted online December 2–4, 2025, among 2,204 registered voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 1.99 percentage points, which found modest improvements in public sentiment, including an increase to 39 percent saying the country is on the right track—up from 35 percent previously—and a rise to 36 percent who believe the economy is improving, up from 33 percent.
What People Are Saying
White House spokesperson Kush Desai told Newsweek via email: "President Trump campaigned on fixing Joe Biden’s economic disaster and border crisis. By every metric, he is delivering—inflation has cooled, GDP growth is accelerating, and the border is sealed.
"Instead of covering how far America has come in just one year, the media has fixated on one contrived scandal after another. President Trump is most in his element when he’s with the everyday Americans who propelled him to office, and the President will continue delivering results and cutting out the Fake News middleman to tout what he has and continues to do for the American people."
Daron Shaw, Republican pollster who conducts the Fox News Poll with Democrat Chris Anderson, said: "The president faces two difficult obstacles—the virtually unanimous and intractable opposition of Democrats and the stubbornness of high prices."
Taylor Orth, Director of Survey Data Journalism at YouGov, wrote: "Americans would generally prefer for Donald Trump to spend less time on foreign policy and instead focus more on domestic issues and the economy."
Trump on Truth Social this week: "My polling is highest ever. Thank you!"
He added in a separate post: "Fake and Fraudulent Polling should be, virtually, a criminal offense… I am going to do everything possible to keep this Polling SCAM from moving forward!"
Republican pollster Patrick Allocco told Newsmax that Trump "continues to draw support beyond the Republican base," citing "30 percent of independents" and "4 percent of Democrats," adding that "59 percent of blue-collar workers are still with him: that's huge going into the midterms," while noting the Trump team is struggling to connect with women ages 21 to 44.
He added, "If you were against his economic policies, if you're against his foreign policies, if you're against his immigration policies, chances are you didn't vote for President Trump in 2024. What we're seeing right now is ... this uprising of anger that's bubbling up to the surface."
What Happens Next
Polling firms will continue to release weekly and monthly readings on presidential approval, economic sentiment, and issue priorities that will shape campaign strategies ahead of the 2026 midterms.
"Republican officeholders think the economic benefits of the One Big Beautiful Bill will kick in later this year, which will be critical for GOP prospects in the midterm elections," according to Fox News pollster Shaw.
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