NEW POLLING: Americans Are Souring on Trump’s Agenda
July 17, 2025

Donald Trump’s approval ratings are underwater nearly six months into his second term, as he buries Americans in sky-high costs and financial uncertainty. After Trump signed the largest cuts to health care and food assistance in American history, he is dragging the American people into an erratic trade war with no end in sight.
New polling from CNN and the Associated Press shows Americans reject Trump’s chaotic economic agenda and his billionaire-first budget.
NEW POLLING: Donald Trump’s agenda is wildly unpopular with the American people.
- Only one-quarter of U.S. adults say that Trump’s policies have helped them since he took office
- Roughly half of U.S. adults report that Trump’s agenda has “done more to hurt” them
- About 2 in 10 Americans say Trump’s policies have “not made a difference” in their lives
- Only 1 in 4 Americans say Trump’s policies have “done more to help” them
- Roughly 6 in 10 Americans oppose Trump’s budget bill, with only 16% saying it will make their families better off
- A majority (51%) of Americans say Trump’s spending bill will hurt the economy
- A majority (63%) of Americans think Trump hasn’t paid enough attention to the country’s most important issues
- A majority (60%) of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy
Rather than help lower costs, Trump pursued an erratic trade agenda that is skyrocketing prices…
Goldman Sachs: “Economists at Goldman Sachs Research assume that companies will pass on 70% of the direct cost of tariffs to consumers through higher prices.”
CNBC: “He bought a side table from Mexico. Tariffs added a surprise $1,170 fee at delivery”
Morning Consult: 73% of Americans said they noticed higher grocery prices due to Donald Trump’s tariffs.
New York Times: “The president’s whipsawing tariffs and cuts to agriculture grants and global food aid have left the state with swollen silos, shrinking markets and volatile prices for crops.”
Yale Budget Lab: “The price level from all 2025 [Trump] tariffs rises by 2.1% in the short-run, the equivalent of an average per household income loss of $2,800 in 2025$.”
… and signed his billionaire-first budget that will worsen inflation, explode the deficit, and could lead to a financial crisis.
Reuters: “US fiscal folly could create big, beautiful debt spiral”
“The U.S. tax and spending bill passed on July 3 is expected to add more than $3 trillion to the country’s deficit over the next decade. If the current debt trajectory continues unabated, it could set off a slow motion debt spiral that could endanger the Federal Reserve’s independence.”
Washington Post: “GOP bill could worsen inflation and lead to financial crisis, economists warn”
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