Trump underwater on issues that got him elected, polling shows

• About 4 in 10 Americans approve of Trump's second-term performance, per a January AP-NORC poll, but support drops sharply across several major policy areas.

What they're saying: "Nearly 80 million Americans gave President Trump a resounding Election Day mandate to end Joe Biden's economic disaster, secure our border, mass deport criminal illegal aliens, and put America First on the world stage," White House spokesperson Kush Desai told Axios.

• "The President and his Administration are committed to delivering on that mandate."

Here's where the president is losing public support.

Immigration

The Trump administration's immigration agenda has taken a sharper turn in 2026, as reports of ICE agents using increasingly aggressive tactics have become more frequent.

Driving the news: Only 38% of Americans approve of Trump's immigration enforcement, down 49% from March, according to the AP-NORC poll, shortly after 37-year-old Minneapolis mother Renee Nicole Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent.

• Despite the administration's efforts to frame Good as a perpetrator, a Quinnipiac poll shows the killing was widely unpopular. Fifty-three percent say the shooting was not justified, compared with 35% who say it was justified and 12% who offered no opinion.
• More broadly, fifty-seven percent of voters disapprove of the way ICE is enforcing immigration laws, compared with who 40% approved — a figure largely unchanged from July.

Yes, but: Some voters continue to give the president leeway on immigration, with 45%, saying Trump has helped immigration or border security "a lot" or "a little" in his second term, according to the AP-NORC poll.

Foreign policy

During his second term, the president has taken aggressive steps abroad — including supporting a U.S. military operation in Venezuela without congressional approval.

By the numbers: The recent AP-NORC poll found that 56% of Americans believe Trump has "gone too far" in using military forces overseas, while 45% say the U.S. should take a less active role in addressing global conflicts.

• Trump authorized strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities in June 2025 and has recently escalated his rhetoric, threatening additional strikes on the Iranian regime following the killing of protesters.
• Overall, 70% of voters think the U.S. should not get involved with Iran, according to the Quinnipiac poll. Only 18% support the military action, while 12% did not give an opinion.

Zoom in: The president also revived his push to take over Greenland, the resources-rich, autonomous territory, that's part of the Danish kingdom.

• The same Quinnipiac poll shows Trump's idea is widely unpopular: 86% oppose the president taking Greenland by military force and 55% oppose the U.S. purchasing the territory.

The economy

Trump has claimed responsibility for the economy, while arguing that rising prices are the result of inheriting a weak economic situation from former President Biden.

The other side: Only 37% of Americans approve of Trump's handling of the economy overall, while 62% disapprove, the AP-NORC poll shows.

• More than half, 53%, of Americans believe the economy and country are somewhat or much worse off since Trump took office in 2025.
• 52% also say Trump has hurt the cost of health care in his second term, and 57% say the same about the cost of living. Another 43% say he has hurt job creation, per the AP-NORC poll.

Go deeper: Trump lashes out against "fake polls" as his approval ratings sink

Methodology: The AP-NROC poll of 1,203 U.S. adults was conducted online between Jan. 8-11 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.9 percentage points. The Quinnipiac poll of 1,133 self-identified registered voters was conducted via telephone between Jan. 8-12 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.7 percentage points.