President Donald Trump has received overwhelming support on his agenda from his own base since he returned to the White House.
Except on one issue, according to a new poll.
The poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that voters of the president do not believe he is living up to their expectations on the economy — an issue that is expected to dominate the 2026 midterm elections.
Only 16% of Republicans believe Trump has helped “a lot” to address the cost of living, the poll revealed. It is a stark drop compared to the 49% documented in April 2024, when the poll asked the same question about his first term.
Meanwhile, about 4 in 10 supporters of Trump think he has helped at least “a little,” compared to 79% who said the same during his first presidency.
“Still paying $5 for Oreos,” a 64-year-old respondent who lives in New Rochelle, New York, said, before adding: “I would expect it to be different by the time his four years are up.”
On job creation, a little over half of Republicans say Trump has worked to increase job opportunities in his second term; however, 85% agreed in the 2024 poll. Only 26% believe he has helped “a lot” — a 36 percent-point drop from his first term.
But although Trump received negative marks on concerns related to the economy, his base appears nowhere near deserting him, the poll showed. Eight in 10 Republicans said they approve of the president’s overall job performance, which is double the margin of all adults.
He also received positive feedback on his handling of immigration, which has dominated the news this month. About 8 in 10 Republicans argue that Trump has helped at least “a little” on the issue and border security one year in, and most say he has been successful when it comes to his deportation efforts, according to the poll.
It is worth noting, though, that his approval rating on immigration has fallen among the party, dipping to 76% in the poll from 88% last March.
“I don’t like anybody getting killed, but it wasn’t Trump’s fault,” a 69-year-old respondent from Lancaster, Ohio, said of the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent in Minnesota. The respondent added that former President Joe Biden “let millions of people in. They have to be taken out.”
Overall, 38% of U.S. adults approve of his handling of immigration, while 61% disapprove, the poll found.
And per the poll, two-thirds of Republicans view the country as improving since Trump took office, either “much” or “somewhat.” When it comes to their personal lives, the figure is closer to half.
The AP-NORC poll was conducted Jan. 8-11 among 1,203 adults. The margin of sampling error for Republicans is plus or minus 6 percentage points.