NPR Poll: Many Voters Give Trump Failing Grade

Summary

Summary of "NPR Poll: Many Voters Give Trump Failing Grade"
The NPR Politics Podcast
Release Date: April 29, 2025

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Introduction

In the April 29, 2025 episode of The NPR Politics Podcast, hosts Sarah McCammon, Domenico Montanaro, and Mara Liasson delve into the latest NPR PBS News Marist Poll, which assesses American voters' approval of President Donald Trump's performance nearly 100 days into his second term. The discussion provides a comprehensive analysis of Trump's approval ratings, the partisan divide in opinions, and the implications for his administration and the Republican Party.

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Overall Approval Ratings

The episode opens with Domenico Montanaro presenting the poll's overarching findings. Out of over 1,400 respondents:

• 45% rated Trump with a failing grade.
• 23% gave him an A.
• 54% of Republicans approved, with 54% awarding an A and the remainder a B.
• 80% of Democrats disapproved, giving him an F.
• 42% overall approve of Trump's job performance.

Notable Quote:
Domenico Montanaro (01:10): “People are not pleased with the president's performance, I think it's safe to say.”

Sarah McCammon highlights the stark polarization, noting the significant divide rather than a uniform middling approval.

Notable Quote:
Sarah McCammon (02:00): “I mean, you've got a good chunk of people, almost half, not far from half, giving him an F. And then, you know, about a quarter giving him an A. That's quite a split. It's not like everybody's giving him a C. It's just this big divide.”

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Economic Policies and Tariffs

The discussion shifts to Trump's economic policies, particularly his use of tariffs. Montanaro explains that despite Trump's base giving him leeway, the general populace is critical of his tariff strategy, which many experts argue may lead to higher prices—contrary to his campaign promise of lowering them.

• 34% approve of Trump's use of tariffs.
• 39% approve of his handling of the economy, marking the lowest approval during his presidency.

Notable Quote:
Domenico Montanaro (02:16): “Only 34% of people overall say that they approve of his use of tariffs. Only 39% say that they approve of his handling of the economy. That is the lowest score for Trump ever, including during his first term when the economy was seen as a strength.”

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Immigration Policies

Immigration remains a pivotal issue. Contrary to Trump's previous strong stance, the poll reveals a slim majority now disapproves of his handling of immigration.

• 37% of independents approve of his immigration policies.
• Case Study: The deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia saw only 35% approval overall, 31% among independents, and 73% among Republicans.

Notable Quote:
Domenico Montanaro (04:56): “We found a slim majority of people are now disapproving of Donald Trump's handling of immigration, which had been a relative strength of his.”

Mara Liasson emphasizes the potential future impact as tariffs take full effect and the economy possibly enters a recession, further complicating Trump's position.

Notable Quote:
Mara Liasson (06:09): “These are people looking at how the immigration policies have been carried out and not liking them.”

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Political Implications for the Republican Party

The episode explores how Trump's unpopularity may affect the Republican Party, especially in the House of Representatives. Montanaro suggests that Republicans may bear the brunt of electoral challenges due to dwindling support stemming from Trump's policies.

• Republicans in Congress are likely to feel the political impact.
• The slim majority in the House is at stake, with Democrats aiming to take control of at least one chamber.

Notable Quote:
Domenico Montanaro (08:24): “Republicans are going to have to deal with whatever the fallout is from tariffs, if it is negative, from these immigration policies, if it continues to trend in that direction.”

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Compliance and Frontlash Within the GOP

Despite Trump's declining approval, Republican members remain largely compliant with his policies. The hosts discuss the lack of pushback within the party, attributing it to Trump's strong hold over his base and the political repercussions members might face if they oppose him.

• Only three Republicans in House districts won by Kamala Harris have voiced opposition.
• Potential primary challenges deter Republicans from breaking ranks.

Notable Quote:
Mara Liasson (09:12): “No pushback, even though privately they'll tell you that they think that some of his picks for Cabinet are horrifying to them, but they won't vote against them.”

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Disconnect Between Policies and Voter Support

The podcast addresses the perplexing phenomenon where Trump's policies are largely unpopular, yet he maintains substantial support among voters. The hosts suggest that many voters either were not fully aware of the implications or supported Trump for other reasons, such as nostalgia for the pre-COVID economy.

Notable Quotes:
Mara Liasson (11:04): “Because they either weren't paying attention or they didn't take some of this stuff seriously.”

Domenico Montanaro (11:25): “I think a lot of people did vote for him, knowing that that's what he would do.”

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Conclusion

The episode concludes by underscoring the significant challenges facing President Trump and the Republican Party as his policies garner increasing disapproval across the electorate. The polarization remains intense, with Trump's firm base shielding him from broader public dissent, yet the sustainability of his administration's strategies amid growing economic and immigration concerns remains uncertain.

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Key Takeaways:

• Polarized Approval: Trump's approval ratings are deeply divided along partisan lines, with significant disapproval among Democrats and moderate support among Republicans.

• Economic and Immigration Challenges: Trump's tariff policies and immigration strategies are experiencing declining support, potentially leading to economic strain and political repercussions.

• Republican Compliance: The Republican Party shows high compliance with Trump's agenda, limiting internal opposition despite growing external challenges.

• Voter Support Dynamics: A notable disconnect exists between Trump's policy popularity and his voter base's continued support, driven by factors such as economic nostalgia and strong partisan loyalty.

This comprehensive analysis provides valuable insights into the current political landscape, highlighting the complexities of Trump's administration and its impact on American politics.

Transcript

[Robert]

Hello, this is Robert from Redwood City, California. And I'm currently taking a short break from editing my dissertation on teaching in elementary school makerspaces.

[Sarah McCammon]

This podcast was recorded at 1:09pm Eastern Time on Tuesday, April 29, 2025.

[Robert]

Things may have changed by the time you hear this, including hopefully the letters PhD being affixed to the end of my name. Okay, here's the show.

[Sarah McCammon]

Writing a dissertation is a slog from what I understand. So congratulations.

[Mara Liasson]

But what a great thing to do it for early childhood. Yeah.

[Sarah McCammon]

How cool. Hey there. It's the NPR Politics podcast. I'm Sarah McCammon. I cover politics.

[Domenico Montanaro]

I'm Domenico Montanaro, senior political editor and correspondent.

[Mara Liasson]

And I'm Mara Liasson, senior national political correspondent.

[Sarah McCammon]

And today on the show, a pulse check. Nearly 100 days into his second term, how are Americans rating Donald Trump's job performance? Performance? We'll get into that and more in the latest NPR PBS News Marist Poll. Domenico, you're kind of our in house expert on these polls. Big picture. People are not pleased with the president's performance, I think it's safe to say. I mean, just walk us through what you're seeing in this poll.

[Domenico Montanaro]

Yeah. We had more than 1,400 people that we interviewed in the survey with PBS News and Marist College. And 45% of the people who answered the poll gave Trump failing grade. About half of that 23% gave him an A. Overwhelmingly. Those 45%, the Democrats who were surveyed, 80% of them gave him an F. But only about half of Republicans, 54%, gave Trump an A. You might expect that to be a little higher a lot. The rest of them gave him a B. Independence, though, I think is the place where a lot of politicians look at to see whether or not the people who are actually persuadable are on their side or not. And he's having real trouble with independence because only 30, 46% of independents approve of the job he's doing. He's at 42% overall when it comes to the job he's doing.

[Sarah McCammon]

You know, as you talk about that, I'm just struck by once again how polarizing this president is. I mean, you've got a good chunk of people, almost half, not far from half, giving him an F. And then, you know, about a quarter giving him an A. That's quite a split. It's not like everybody's giving him a C. It's just this big divide.

[Domenico Montanaro]

Yeah. And I don't know that we'll see much change as far as with his Base of people. I mean, his base of people are giving him a very long leash. He's having some real trouble when it comes to his use of tariffs and on the economy. I mean, I think we can all argue here, or would agree that the thing that got Trump over the finish line was his promise to bring prices down. And all the experts say that tariffs are most likely to increase prices and do the very opposite of the thing that he wants. And only 34% of people overall say that they approve of his use of tariffs. Only 39% say that they approve of his handling of the economy. That is the lowest score for Trump ever, including during his first term when the economy was seen as a strength.

[Mara Liasson]

And the big question is, how will they express those feelings? In other words, will they stick with the Republican Party anyway because our politics is now so polarized, or will they somehow take it out on him and his party because he seems pretty impervious to polls? There are some polls, otherwise known as the bond markets, that do have an effect on him because you see him backtracking on the tariffs. But for the most part, he doesn't seem to care about public opinion except for the opinion of his base. And on that, he feels very, very comfortable. His base is consolidated.

[Sarah McCammon]

But when it comes to the tariffs, Mara, I mean, this poll is happening before the impact of the tariffs is really being felt. I mean, some people are feeling it in the stock market, but by and large, this policy has not taken full effect. How do you think that's going to play out?

[Mara Liasson]

Well, that's the thing to watch. In a couple months, when inventories run out, people are gonna start paying more. They're not gonna be able to get certain products. Small businesses are gonna go bankrupt. You see a number of economists now flat out predicting there will be a recession. One of the other things in our poll that was really interesting was that the string has run out on who is responsible for the current economic situation. For a very long time, Trump was able to say it's all Biden's fault. But in our poll and others, it shows that people now see this as Trump's economy.

[Domenico Montanaro]

Yeah, by a 60 to 39% margin. People said that this is Trump's economy, not the result of something that he inherited. That includes 61% of independents and a third of Republicans. So that, you know, continuing to blame Biden is gonna run out eventually. And looks like right now for Donald Trump, that's the case.

[Sarah McCammon]

Okay, so that's the economy. One of the other really major issues in the campaign was, of course, immigration. It's also been a major area of policy action by the administration so far. How are people feeling about Trump's immigration policies?

[Domenico Montanaro]

Well, this was kind of a surprising find because we found a slim majority of people are now disapproving of Donald Trump's handling of immigration, which had been a relative strength of his. It's been the thing that he's wanted to focus on. It's been the thing that he feels like is really what gives him the wind at his back to be able to go forward with what he views as a political mandate. But even on that thing, it is now started to creep downward. And again, 37% of independents approve of how he's handling immigration. And I thought it was interesting because when you look at specifically how the administration is handling the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man who has been in the United States for some decades, crossed into the United States illegally and was mistakenly deported. By the Trump administration's own admission, only 35% approve of how the administration has been handling his case, including only 31% of independents and only 73% of Republicans. I know that sounds like a lot, but compared to some of the other things in this, like immigration, overall, that's fairly low for Republicans. It actually ties Republicans with tariffs for the lowest thing in our poll about what they approve of Trump's handling on.

[Mara Liasson]

And that's really significant because immigration is so core to Donald Trump's worldview. You know, ever since 2015 when he announced he was running for president and he said that Mexico was sending its criminals and rapists across the border, this has been Trump's go to issue since then. And what's also significant about these numbers is we are just at the beginning. We have not had mass deportations yet. We have not had meatpacking plants closed down because all the workers are either in the shadows now, afraid to come to work, or they've been deported. We're not there yet. These are people looking at how the immigration policies have been carried out and not liking them.

[Sarah McCammon]

Okay, time for a break. We'll have more in just a moment. And we're back. Domenico, as we look at the numbers from this NPR poll, what surprises you, if anything, did anything stand out?

[Domenico Montanaro]

I think we talked a lot about immigration, but I think that a lot of that actually was most surprising to me, especially the figures on Kilmaro Brago Garcia and how people felt about that, but also kind of how quickly people think that Trump is moving. I mean, certainly when you look back at the 100 days, there's a lot that he's aggressively tried to move forward on and do, and an increasing majority, 61%, say that Trump is rushing to make changes. That's up five points from last month. So if he wasn't getting the message, people are sending the message even more. So 4 in 10, mostly Republicans, think that he's doing what needs to be done and are willing to sort of give him a little bit more leash on making these changes to the federal government that they support. The overwhelming majority here also say that they think Trump should follow court orders, even if he doesn't like them. 85% said that, which is a significant chunk of Republicans as well. But I think there's a little bit of social acceptance in that kind of a question, because when you follow up with some of the folks about whether or not they think he's disobeying some court orders, they think he's not. So I think there's a lot to be filled in on that as well.

[Mara Liasson]

And, you know, interestingly, our poll is not an outlier. Tracks very similarly to the approval ratings he's getting in other polls.

[Sarah McCammon]

So there's a pattern here that lots of polls pointing to unpopularity.

[Mara Liasson]

Yes, lots of polls. Now, what effect that will have remains to be seen.

[Domenico Montanaro]

And I think the Republicans in Congress are the ones who are most likely to feel the political impacts of some of this, because Trump, you know, is constitutionally barred from running for a third term, even though he's, you know, flirted with the idea of running, certainly wanting to keep that idea out there. But we know that Republicans are going to be on the ballot in 2026, and they're gonna have to deal with whatever the fallout is from tariffs, if it is negative, from these immigration policies, if it continues to trend in that direction. And they very slim majority in the House. And Democrats really feel like they need to step in here because it's vital for Democrats to be able to take over at least one chamber of Congress, and it's probably not going to be the Senate.

[Sarah McCammon]

Is there any reason to think that Republicans, worried about their electoral prospects next year, will push back against Trump's policies in any significant way?

[Mara Liasson]

No. One of the features of polling about Trump is that he has a low ceiling and a high floor. He's never going to get super unpopular because he has such a strong grip on his party. He's never going to get super popular because he is such a polling polarizing figure. But I think one of the biggest features of The Trump presidency 2.0 is how compliant Republicans in Congress have been. No pushback, even though privately they'll tell you that they think that some of his picks for Cabinet are horrifying to them, but they won't vote against them. So I think the chances of Republicans, even if they're facing tough races next time, know they're not gonna break with him.

[Domenico Montanaro]

And we know why. I mean, there's no incentive for many of them to do that because there's a shrinking number of swing district in the country. It's why. You see, one of the only Congressional Republicans who's spoken out is someone like Don Bacon from Nebraska. He's in a district that Kamala Harris, a Democrat, won in 2024. So there's.

[Mara Liasson]

There's only three of those three Republicans in House districts where Kamala Harris won. That is a very small number.

[Domenico Montanaro]

Yeah, there's an incentive for them, with independents in their districts to show that they're, you know, being able to stand up to the president, but everybody else, you know, most people, if they were to stand up to Trump, that would almost immediately mean a primary challenge and lots of money that they'd have to spend. And the people who have gone against Trump, the Republicans who have voted against him, the Republicans who have spoken out, most of them are not in Congress anymore and have faced challenges.

[Sarah McCammon]

You know, I want to ask one more question before we go. And we've talked a lot about how unpopular some of these policies are overall. But at the same time, you know, Trump is doing the things he campaigned on. Tariffs, deportations. These were central messages of his campaign. So none of this should be a surprise. Now. He's won. He's doing it. A lot of people don't like it. How do you explain that disconnect?

[Mara Liasson]

Because they either weren't paying attention or they didn't take some of this stuff seriously. I've never covered an election where more voters told me they were gonna vote for Trump. And then you would say, well, do you agree with this? This, oh, no, he's not gonna do that. I'm against that. But he's just kidding or he's sarcastic. People voted for him thinking he wouldn't do what he promised to do. That's unheard of.

[Domenico Montanaro]

I think a lot of people did vote for him, knowing that that's what he would do. But people vote differently, you know, for different things. I mean, there were people.

[Mara Liasson]

Well, they wanted him to lower prices.

[Domenico Montanaro]

There are people who wanted him to do all of this government restructuring and wanted him to do most of the things that he's doing. But then there were people like Maura Singh, who crossed over to vote for Trump, who said, you know, prices are just too high. Inflation is too high. I liked the pre Covid economy that Donald Trump was in charge of. So let's go back to that. And there was this nostalgia for that. That's the advantage for Trump, that he doesn't have to think politically about those folks. And he's trying to put in place a lot of the things that he has thought about and advocated for for 40 years.

[Sarah McCammon]

Okay. That's all for today. I'm Sarah McCammon. I cover politics.

[Domenico Montanaro]

I'm Domenico Montanaro, senior political editor and correspondent.

[Mara Liasson]

And I'm Mara Liasson, senior national political correspondent.

[Sarah McCammon]

And thank you for listening to the NPR Politics podcast.