U.S. President Donald Trump is facing unusually weak polling numbers in Utah, one of the Republican Party’s most reliable strongholds.
A new Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll finds that a slim majority of Utahns — 52 percent — believe Trump is using too much power in his administration.
Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, told Newsweek: “In a short time, President Trump has already delivered on many of the promises he was elected to enact. He’s secured the border; tackled [Joe] Biden’s inflation crisis; lowered drug prices; ended taxes on tips, overtime, and social security; cooled inflation; deported criminal illegal aliens; implemented important reforms putting American workers first; and more.
“As the architect of the MAGA movement, President Trump will always put America First. Every single day he’s working hard to continue fulfilling the many promises he made and he will continue delivering.”
Why Utah’s Numbers Matter
Utah has been a firmly Republican state for decades and has not backed a Democratic presidential candidate since 1964. Trump carried the Beehive State in 2024 with 59.4 percent of the vote, a slight uptick from his 58.2 percent share in 2020.
But earlier this month, a Utah judge adopted a new congressional map that improves Democrats’ chances of capturing a seat in the otherwise deeply conservative state. A Republican-drawn map was blocked for failing to comply with state law. Republican Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz said the timing of the ruling made it difficult to mount an appeal.
If Trump’s standing is slipping among Utah voters, it could complicate Republican prospects in the 2026 midterm elections. The GOP currently holds a narrow 219–214 majority in the House of Representatives, so losing even a few seats could cost the party control and limit its ability to advance its agenda.
What the Poll Shows
The survey found that the 52 percent of Utah voters who think Trump is exercising too much power is slightly higher than the 51 percent of Americans overall who share that concern. Another 31 percent of Utahns said the president is using the right amount of power, while 9 percent felt he is not using enough.
Among Republicans in Utah, 29 percent said Trump is exercising too much power — higher than the 21 percent of Republicans nationwide who feel the same way.
The poll surveyed 607 registered Utah voters between November 8 and 12 and has a margin of error of +/- 4 percentage points.
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has expanded his use of executive authority. He has deployed federal troops to several states, including Washington, D.C., and signed dozens of executive orders on issues ranging from immigration to federal funding for government departments. Some of these moves have drawn legal challenges, even as his core supporters have largely welcomed the aggressive approach.
Broader Negative Trends
The Utah findings come as part of a wider downturn in Trump’s national polling.
A recent Economist/YouGov survey put Trump’s approval rating at 39 percent — his lowest level since his return to office in January — with 58 percent disapproving, for a net approval rating of -19 points.
A Fox News poll released this week found that 76 percent of voters view the economy negatively. That makes Trump less well-regarded on the economy than former President Joe Biden; at the end of Biden’s presidency in 2024, Fox News polling showed 70 percent of Americans held a negative view of the economy.
Pollster Nate Silver also noted that the share of people who disapprove of Trump’s performance — 55.9 percent — is now higher than it was at a comparable point in his first term, when it stood at 54.9 percent.
What People Are Saying
Trump dismissed unfavorable polling on his social media platform Truth Social earlier this month, writing: “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!’”
Utah Judge Dianna Gibson, in her ruling on the state’s congressional map, wrote: “The Court finds that Map C was drawn with the purpose to favor Republicans—a conclusion that follows from even S.B. 1011’s metric for partisan intent—and it unduly favors Republicans and disfavors Democrats. In short, Map C does not comply with Utah law.”
What Happens Next
As Trump’s term continues, his standing is likely to rise and fall across the country — including in Utah. But the latest numbers from such a reliably Republican state serve as a warning sign for both his administration and the GOP ahead of the 2026 midterms.
