Snapshot: Most Americans Can't Stand Trump and His Policies

The data confirms it. But it will take more than polls and media tropes to stem this regime's despotism.

(Photo of Trump by Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

When I look at a political poll, I’m usually focused on what it tells us about possible outcomes: could an election be won by an overwhelming margin, what changes in policy might it motivate, can it spur public outcry for change. We all know how unreliable polling has been to determine the result of tight presidential elections.

But all the snap polling chronicling the Trump regime has seemed largely irrelevant to me: Marginal shifts in opinion surveys don’t seem to account for the scale of carnage the public is confronting. Never have we seen a president more devoted to dismantling government and causing pain and trouble—and less interested in pursuing policies that make lives better.

These are not normal times. Does it really matter what the polls say if the vengeful Mad Hatter doesn’t give a damn what anyone thinks? Should we really focus on journalistic tropes like “The First 100 days of the Trump presidency” or take seriously commentary about whether the president’s “honeymoon” is over? When a shameless authoritarian regime is aggressively focused on stripping away the most basic rights in America—and particularly due process—do we really think a poll or a clever trope will help us stop its lawless henchmen from kidnapping migrants and American citizens and whisking them off to foreign prisons?

But here’s the thing: The latest polls do communicate that the stench of this regime is particularly foul. I’m not convinced that they will cause Trump to forsake his delusions of omnipotent brilliance, but they do give nourishment for all of us who hope that there are enough Americans still tethered to reality; they also give me a tiny bit of optimism that one of the sycophants in Trump’s inner circle will whisper that maybe something should change.

Just look at the public’s response to Trump on the issues, as documented by an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll released yesterday. On every one cited, including immigration which has been a Trump strength, most Americans disapprove of his actions:

• Recent turmoil in the stock market: 67 percent disapproval.

• Tariffs on imported goods: 64 percent disapproval.

• U.S. relations with other countries: 61 percent disapproval.

• The economy: 61 percent disapproval.

• Looking out for the interests of average Americans: 58 percent disapproval.

• Managing the federal government: 57 percent disapproval.

• Immigration: 53 percent disapproval.

And overall, just 39 percent of the poll’s respondents said they approve of how Trump is handling his job. That’s down six points from February and, according to ABC, the lowest approval for any president dating back to Harry Truman in 1945. The previous low? Donald Trump’s 42 percent approval in 2017.

Just in case you wonder if this poll is an outlier, note the same trends in the New York Times/Siena College poll released several days ago. It places his overall approval at 42 percent, just slightly higher but still at the bottom of the last 80 years. You and I might be sickened that there’s still more than a third of the country cheering him on, but let’s remember those are the people likely to celebrate if he shoots someone on Fifth Avenue in broad daylight.

Note this poll’s numbers on how Trump is handling his job:

• The war in Ukraine: 56 percent disapproval and 35 percent approval.

• The case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia: 52 percent disapproval and 35 percent approval.

• The economy: 55 percent disapproval and 43 percent approval.

• Immigration: 51 percent disapproval and 47 percent approval.

And the two words that voters said described Trump’s second term? Chaotic (66 percent) and scary (59 percent). Duh. Most Americans still have a pulse.

Given Trump’s predilection to double-down on bad actions—to continue proving that he has no bottom—we should expect things will get worse. We really are trapped right now in the fuck around and find out stage of this disaster, courtesy of 77 million-plus Americans who voted for this nightmare.

Yes, we can take the tiniest bit of solace that the damage he’s causing is changing minds, even among previous adherents. Note that 72 percent of the respondents to the ABC/Washington Post/Ipsos poll said they anticipate that Trump’s policies are likely to cause a recession. Even if gutting the government, deporting innocents without due process and destroying our democratic alliances have failed to move them, maybe deepening financial hardship will finally dull their enthusiasm.

Yes. the polls do confirm that most Americans grasp that America is in serious trouble with Trump in the Oval Office. But I remain steadfast that it will take dedicated advocates of democracy and the rule of law—in the courts, government, media and millions of everyday Americans expressing themselves—to stem this rising tyranny.

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