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By Sam Stevenson
Associate News Editor
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President Donald Trump is losing his grip on his base ahead of the crucial 2026 midterms, three recent polls have shown.
The surveys indicate that Trump is facing significant erosion among his Make America Great Again (MAGA) supporters, while also suffering backlash to his deportation and economic policies.
As the country heads toward the 2026 midterm elections, these trends may threaten the Republican Party's efforts to maintain control of Congress.
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Newsweek contacted the White House via email for comment.
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Decline In MAGA Identification
According to NBC News polling, the proportion of self-identified Republicans who align primarily with MAGA movement has plummeted by seven percentage points since April 2025.
In the most recent survey conducted between November 20 and December 8, only 50 percent of Republicans said they identified more with MAGA, compared to 57 percent earlier in the year.
An equal 50 percent now say they identify more with the traditional Republican Party, signaling a significant realignment within GOP ranks. The margin of error for the poll was +/- 1.9 percentage points.
Trump's overall approval rating also slipped over this period, dropping from 45 percent to 42 percent among all respondents, while disapproval rose from 55 percent to 58 percent.
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Republican Unease With Immigration Crackdown
A new Pew Research Center poll, conducted between October 6 and 16, found that a growing number of Republicans believed the Trump administration was going "too far" in its deportation policies.
Some 20 percent of Republicans and Republican leaners said the White House was doing "too much" on deportations, up from 13 percent in March.
While most Republicans—64 percent—still backed the administration's approach, the increase in opposition represents a noteworthy shift.
This unease is even more pronounced among Hispanic Republicans: 47 percent said the administration was doing too much, up from 28 percent just seven months prior.
The poll included 8,046 respondents and had a margin of error of +/- 1.7 percentage points.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Newsweek: "The president was elected based on his promise to carry out the largest mass deportation operation in history. As the administration continues arresting and deporting illegal aliens with additional criminal charges, anyone illegally present in the United States is eligible for deportation."
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Souring Republican Sentiment on Economy
Multiple recent polls have also confirmed declining approval ratings for Trump, particularly with respect to economic management.
The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, conducted between December 12 and 14, reported that just 33 percent of U.S. adults approved of Trump's handling of the U.S. economy in December 2025, his lowest mark of the year.
Support fell even among Republicans: 72 percent approved of Trump's economic management, down from 78 percent earlier in the month.
Trump's overall approval rating stood at 39 percent, nearly matching his lowest level since returning to office. The poll was conducted on 1,016 people nationwide and had a margin of error of three percentage points.
The White House has said that Trump "inherited the worst inflation crisis in a generation from Joe Biden's incompetence," and that his administration "rapidly cooled inflation to a 2.5 percent annualized rate."
Spokesman Kush Desai previously told Newsweek: "Turning the Biden economic disaster around has informed nearly every action the Trump administration has taken since Day One."
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What People Are Saying
Trump wrote on Truth Social in November: "So many Fake Polls are being shown by the Radical Left Media, all slanted heavily toward Democrats and Far Left Wingers… Fake News will never change, they are evil and corrupt but, as I look around my beautiful surroundings, I say to myself, 'Oh, look, I’m sitting in the Oval Office!'"
Costas Panagopoulos, a professor of political science at Northeastern University, told Newsweek: "Trump's popularity seems to be on a downward spiral, with more and more Republicans and even die-hard MAGA supporters questioning their affinity for the president. At the root of much of this is probably voters' perception that the administration and Republicans in Congress are doing little to address their economic concerns, but frustration about these shortcomings seem to be spilling over into other matters."
Mark Shanahan, who teaches American politics at the University of Surrey in the U.K., told Newsweek: "Trump isn't on the ballot in 2026, but he will still dominate the election. It will be won and lost on the economy, so if that remains lackluster as the election campaign ramps up, his policies will damage GOP candidates. And if Republicans lose control of Congress next November, all bets are off for who will be on the ballot for 2028."
What Happens Next
The upcoming 2026 midterm elections are likely to serve as a critical test for Trump and the Republican Party. With approval ratings dipping and fractures deepening within both the MAGA movement and the broader GOP, party leaders are already signaling changes to their campaign strategies.
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