A CNN poll published Friday finds that 58% of Americans view President Donald Trump’s first year of his second term as “a failure,” while 42% call it “a success.” About 1% said they had no opinion.
Why it matters
Public sentiment toward the president can shape the political environment heading into this year’s midterm elections, when Democrats are aiming to win back control of the U.S. Senate, the House of Representatives, or both—an outcome that could limit Trump’s agenda over the final two years of his term.
What the poll found
The survey, conducted by SSRS from January 9–12, polled 1,209 U.S. adults and has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.
In addition to the “success/failure” measure, the poll reported:
- Job approval: 39% approve of Trump’s performance, while 61% disapprove.
- CNN noted this was slightly improved from an October CNN/SSRS poll that had approval at 37% and disapproval at 63%.
CNN also compared the results to a poll taken during President Joe Biden’s first year in office (January 10–February 6, 2022). In that 2022 poll, 57% said Biden’s administration was “a failure,” 36% said it was “a success,” and 2% had “no opinion.”
Economy and use of power
Respondents cited the economy as the top issue. On whether Trump’s policies have affected economic conditions:
- 32% said his policies have improved conditions
- 55% said they have worsened conditions
- 13% said they’ve had no effect
The poll also asked about the use of executive power. When asked whether Trump has “gone too far” by “using the power of the presidency and executive branch”:
- 58% said yes
- 34% said it has “been about right”
- 8% said he has “not gone far enough”
On priorities, the poll found:
- 36% believe Trump has the “right priorities”
- 64% say he has not focused enough on the country’s most important problems
What people are saying
Grant Reeher, a political science professor at Syracuse University, told Newsweek via email on Friday:
“I’m not terribly surprised—first and foremost, because of the level of political polarization in the country right now. Right out of the gate, the floor for that figure is going to be around 45-47%. So all we’re really explaining is that last 10 percent, which I’d chalk up to reactions against the heavy-handed immigration policies (not helped by the recent shooting in Minneapolis), the persistent concerns about the economy and about prices (even though inflation is trending down since Biden), the division within his base over the international military operations (are they genuinely ‘America First’?), and dissatisfaction with the tariffs. Add to that some of the president’s most over-the-top tweets, and it seems like you’ve got plenty of reasons to find another 10 percent of dissatisfaction.”
Reeher added:
“In our polarized environment, there’s little room for ‘somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied.’ Things are either failures or successes.”
CNN’s chief data analyst Harry Enten wrote on X on Friday:
“Trump’s making economic history… The wrong kind per voters. He has a -19 pt economic net approval, the lowest on record 1 year into a 2nd term. 57% say Trump’s hurt the cost of living vs. 40% after term 1, more of a shift than Anakin Skywalker going over to the Dark Side.”
Trump wrote on Truth Social this week:
“Under my stewardship, the Economy is booming! A Manufacturing Renaissance and soaring Household Incomes are powering GDP gains that have not been seen in decades, and we are undergoing a DIS-inflationary boom. The Private Sector is growing by over 5% thanks to the most Business Investment we have ever seen, maybe in History, and Inflation trends are looking GOOD. All the smart money knows the ‘HOTTEST’ Economy in the World is the U.S.A. TIME TO INVEST!”
