Trump's approval hits record low amid court battles and academia feud
The current approval rating of Donald Trump is one of the lowest in the history of U.S. presidents at the start of a second term, indicating strong public opinion polarization and growing dissatisfaction with his policies. Americans criticize him, among other things, for disputes with universities, battles with the courts, and a trade war.
What should you know?
- The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll shows that Donald Trump's approval rating has dropped to 42%. This is the lowest score since his return to the White House.
- 83% of respondents believe the president should respect the rulings of federal courts. Trump is criticized for ignoring court decisions.
- 57% of respondents oppose cutting funding to universities with which Trump disagrees. The conflict with institutions like Harvard is controversial.
- Respondents also criticize the American leader for conducting a trade war and immigration policies.
In the latest poll conducted by the Reuters/Ipsos agency, the approval rating for President Donald Trump reached its lowest level since his return to the White House.
Americans express dissatisfaction with the fact that Trump does not respect court rulings, engages in disputes with universities, and is involved in a chaotic trade war.
How do Americans rate Trump? Here's the latest poll
After Donald Trump's inauguration, his actions were positively evaluated by 47% of respondents. However, at the beginning of April, the approval rate fell by 4 percentage points, reaching 42%.
This is the lowest level since the start of his second term and is one of the lowest in the history of U.S. presidents.
Courts, migration, universities. Here Trump loses support
In the face of ongoing months-long issues between Donald Trump and the American judiciary, as many as 83% of respondents agreed with the opinion that the U.S. president should comply with federal court rulings, even if he deems them unfair.
Respondents also assessed the president's immigration policy. Actions by the administration in this area gained the approval of 45% of survey participants.
Most respondents also criticized Trump's conflict with universities. 57% negatively evaluated the potential defunding of higher education institutions Trump disagrees with.
He also demands the abolition of DEI programs, which promote diversity, equality, and inclusion. Among the universities affected by these actions are Columbia, Cornell, and Harvard.
Harvard has already lost over $2 billion (CAD 2.8 billion) in research grant funding.
Americans don't want Trump to influence culture
The idea of the president taking control of cultural institutions provoked even greater opposition among respondents. 66% stated they do not want the president to have an impact on museums and theatres. The survey authors note that by executive order at the end of March, Trump ordered the Smithsonian Institution, which manages more than twenty American museums, to remove elements considered to be "anti-American ideology".
In the Reuters/Ipsos survey, 59% of respondents agreed with the opinion that the United States is losing credibility on the international stage. The erosion of this superpower's influence on world politics is particularly evident against the backdrop of the chaotic trade war.
The introduction of tariffs aimed to rebuild American industry and improve the state of the economy. However, only 37% of respondents currently agree with Trump's approach to the economy.
Americans are even more critical of the idea of the president running for a third term in the future. Even among Republican voters, 53% do not want Donald Trump to run in the next elections.
