President Donald Trump has opened his second term with a flurry of actions designed to radically disrupt and shrink the federal bureaucracy, but reviews from Americans are mixed to negative on many of his specific initiatives, and 57 percent say he has exceeded his authority since taking office, according to a Washington Post-Ipsos poll.
Many of Trump’s early actions are unpopular, Post-Ipsos poll finds
Reviews from Americans on Trump’s second term are mixed to negative, and 57 percent say he has exceeded his authority since taking office.
February 20, 20259 min
Overall, 43 percent of Americans say they support what the president has done during his first month in office, with 48 percent saying they oppose. Those who strongly oppose outnumber those who strongly support by 37 percent to 27 percent.
The president’s supporters applaud him for deporting undocumented immigrants and cutting government waste. Those unhappy with the direction he is taking the country say they fear Trump is allowing billionaire Elon Musk to dismantle critical government programs.
Almost 9 in 10 Republicans support his actions, while 9 in 10 Democrats oppose them. Among independents, about 1 in 3 support what he’s done, and half oppose. The remainder are unsure whether they support or oppose what is taking place.
Trump’s initiatives have drawn numerous lawsuits attempting to block or slow his progress, along with claims from critics that he lacks the authority to do many of the things he has proposed. While most Americans agree with the view that he has exceeded his authority, 40 percent say he has the power to do what he’s doing. About 2 in 3 say Trump should have to get approval from Congress to freeze funding for programs previously approved by Congress and past presidents.
The best and worst things Trump has done, in respondents’ own words:
“Hiring Elon Musk to gut the government. Elon Musk may be a brilliant man, but he is not good working with people and does not know what he is doing quite frankly.”— Independent White woman from Texas who opposes what Trump has done
“Securing the border and deporting illegal aliens who are known criminals. Also cleaning up the massive corrupt debt in the government.”— Republican White woman from Florida who supports what Trump has done
“Allow Elon Musk access to government institutions without oversight and tons of conflicts of interest.”— Democratic Black man from California who opposes what Trump has done
Americans also are clear what the president should do if a federal court rules that he has done something illegal. More than 8 in 10 say he should follow the court ruling. That includes more than 9 in 10 Democrats along with roughly 8 in 10 Republicans and independents.
A majority of Americans believe the Supreme Court will try to stop Trump if he goes beyond his authority, but when asked whether Republicans in Congress will try to stop him if that happens, a majority say that Republican lawmakers are likely to go along with what Trump wants to do.
Overall, the Post-Ipsos poll finds 45 percent of adults approve of the way Trump is handling his job, while 53 percent disapprove. That net-negative rating is worse than findings in other public polls. A Washington Post average of February polls shows 47 percent approving and 49 percent disapproving. Whether the difference reflects normal variation in public polls or a more negative reaction to recent actions is not clear.
Trump’s approval in the Post-Ipsos poll is significantly better than it was when he left office in January 2021, when 38 percent said they approved of the job he was doing. It is also somewhat better than where he stood early in his first term.
On specific areas of responsibility, a majority disapprove of how he is handling the economy (53 percent versus 45 percent approving), and a similar majority disapprove of how he is managing the federal government (54 percent). On immigration, opinions are closely divided, with 50 percent approving of how he’s handling the issue and 48 percent disapproving.
On two personal attributes, most Americans say Trump is not “honest and trustworthy” (62 percent), while they are divided over whether he “has the mental sharpness it takes to effectively serve as president” — 47 percent say he does, and 50 percent say he does not.
Assessments of Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur who oversees the effort to reshape the executive branch of government, are more negative than those of the president. The poll finds 34 percent saying they approve of the way Musk is handling his job, with 49 percent disapproving and 14 percent not sure.
Americans disapprove by a 2-to-1 margin of Musk shutting down federal agencies that he decides are unnecessary, and most (63 percent) are concerned that his team is gaining access to sensitive personal data of individuals. But the public is closely divided on whether he is mostly cutting wasteful spending or slashing necessary programs, 37 percent versus 34 percent, with 26 percent saying they are not sure.
Trump’s most popular initiative is on immigration, where 51 percent initially say they support the idea of deporting the roughly 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country. There is overwhelming support for deporting those who have been accused of committing violent crimes, and a solid majority back the deportation of those who have been accused of committing nonviolent offenses.
The best and worst things Trump has done, in respondents’ own words:
“He has taken strong action for immigration, has kept his word on tariffs and also did some drastic actions about controlling federal government expenses.”— Independent Asian man from Vermont who supports what Trump has done
“Deportations. It’s sad watching them take good, hardworking people and treat them like livestock.”— Independent White woman from New Jersey who opposes what Trump has done
“He has started to clean the government of all the wasteful spending.”— Republican Hispanic woman from California who supports what Trump has done
“Pardoning the people who attacked our Capitol, representatives and law enforcement.”— Democratic White woman from Ohio who opposes what Trump has done
Opinions turn negative, however, on questions about deporting immigrants who have broken only immigration laws, those who have lived in the country more than 10 years, arrived as children or are parents of children who are U.S. citizens. Trump’s proposal to end birthright citizenship, which faces a serious court test, also draws majority disapproval.
The president’s least popular action is his decision to pardon all those convicted of crimes in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. More than 8 in 10 oppose the pardons for those who were convicted of violent crimes, and 55 percent oppose the pardons for those convicted of nonviolent crimes.
Trump’s order to end all diversity, equity and inclusion programs within the federal government draws slightly more negative views than positive, but the difference is within the margin of error. Overall, 46 percent approve of what Trump has ordered on DEI, while 49 percent disapprove. Republicans largely support Trump’s position, while Democrats overwhelmingly oppose it. Support is greater among Americans over age 50, while opposition is strong among non-White Americans and those with postgraduate degrees.
Beyond that, the president’s specific actions tested in the poll are viewed negatively.
About 6 in 10 oppose shutting down the U.S. Agency for International Development, which provides humanitarian aid in low-income countries. The agency was created by an act of Congress, and the administration would need congressional approval to eliminate it. But the administration has all but shut it down by freezing funding and cutting the workforce.
At a time when each day brings reports of firings at one agency after another, almost 6 in 10 Americans say they oppose laying off large numbers of federal government workers or making it easier to fire longtime government employees. Also, more than 2 in 3 oppose blocking federal health agencies from communicating with the public without approval from a Trump appointee.
Trump has taken several actions related to transgender people, from trying to ban transgender athletes from participating in women’s and girls’ sports to targeting transgender members of the military. The Post-Ipsos poll finds that a majority (53 percent) oppose banning transgender people from military service.
The Post-Ipsos poll did not ask about Trump’s attempt to bar transgender girls and women from participating in girls’ and women’s sports. But previous polls have found support for such bans.
Trump’s signature economic initiative to date is to apply tariffs to products from overseas. The poll asked about his call for 25 percent tariffs on Mexico and Canada (which have been suspended for now) and 10 percent additional tariffs on goods from China. Other proposed tariffs were not tested.
More than 6 in 10 Americans oppose tariffs on Canadian goods, and nearly 6 in 10 oppose them on Mexican products. Americans narrowly support (50 percent to 45 percent) the tariffs on China.
Americans also see negative consequences from these actions. About 7 in 10 say tariffs on products from Mexico, Canada and China will increase prices for those goods. Pluralities also say the tariffs would hurt U.S. workers and U.S. manufacturers.
Economic issues helped Trump prevail in the election against Vice President Kamala Harris. Early in his new term, overall impressions of the economy remain distinctly negative, with 73 percent saying the economy is either “not so good” or “poor” and 26 percent rating it “good” or “excellent.” The percentage rating it as poor has dropped from 33 percent in August and 42 percent in September 2023 to 21 percent now.
Pessimism prevails on specific aspects of the economy, with over 9 in 10 expressing negative views about food prices, about 3 in 4 feeling negative about gas and energy prices, more than 7 in 10 dour about the incomes of average Americans, and a majority even giving negative reviews about the unemployment rate, which has held steady around 4 percent in recent months.
One indicator of how elections change attitudes is the partisan shift that has occurred with respect to the state of the economy. This past summer, 50 percent of Republicans rated the economy as poor. Today, it’s just 11 percent. Among Democrats, the percentage rating the economy poorly has risen from 11 percent last summer to 26 percent in the new poll.
The Post-Ipsos poll was conducted online Feb. 13-18 among 2,601 U.S. adults. The sample was drawn through the Ipsos KnowledgePanel, an ongoing panel of U.S. households recruited by mail using random sampling methods. Overall results have a margin of error of plus or minus 2.1 points; questions on support for some policies were asked of a random half-sample and carry a three-point error margin.