A fresh survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows President Donald Trump facing declining support among Republicans regarding his economic policies, though his party continues backing him during the ongoing Iran conflict.
The poll indicates roughly 6 out of 10 Republicans now support Trump’s economic approach, marking a significant drop from approximately 8 out of 10 who backed him in February before the Iranian war started.
The survey emerges as the Iranian conflict drives up fuel costs while both nations work toward establishing a lasting ceasefire. Trump’s influence within the GOP remains robust, evidenced Tuesday when his endorsed candidate beat Rep. Thomas Massie, a Trump opponent, in a primary race. These results underscore Trump’s enduring Republican Party influence despite mounting economic concerns.
Ariel Gutierrez, a 55-year-old Republican from Wisconsin, typically makes his teenage kids cover their own fuel expenses. However, with soaring gas prices, he’s now assisting his 15-year-old who’s learning to drive.
“The whole Iran issue has just exacerbated it,” he said. “Maybe we were seeing it in groceries before, but now — with this push on gas and travel and all that — that is how people want to live the leisure part of their lives … and it is directly impacting us there now. And yes, that is, I believe from Trump’s policies, not from his predecessors.”
Beyond his core supporters, Trump faces widespread disapproval. Most Americans reject Trump’s Iran strategy and foreign policy approach. His general approval rating in the latest survey reaches 37%, rising modestly from 33% in April. Nearly every Democrat opposes his presidential performance, along with roughly 7 out of 10 independents.
Approximately one-third of American adults support Trump’s economic management. This matches an AP-NORC survey from late April but represents a slight decline from his second term’s beginning, when 40% of adults approved.
Economic policy served as Trump’s advantage during his initial presidency, yet he’s faced skepticism about his economic leadership since returning to office last year, despite repeated pledges to lower costs. His second-term economic ratings have particularly declined among Republicans. Though a majority at 63% still approve, this falls from 79% in February, weeks before the Iranian conflict commenced.
Richard Baumgartner, a 77-year-old Republican from Las Vegas, views increased expenses as an unavoidable consequence of the war he endorses.
“Unfortunately, because of the war, the economy is a little bit off kilter,” Baumgartner said. “I think it’ll fall back into place after things resolve over there. Temporary price increases — it’s unfortunate, but it’s something that has to be confronted in a situation like this where you have a very serious problem.”
Though economic pledges proved crucial to Trump’s reelection, his stricter immigration enforcement goals were equally important — and this area may be regaining strength as a political asset.
Immigration became one of Trump’s early second-term advantages, with roughly half of Americans supporting his methods, but approval dropped to 38% in January and February following months of intensive immigration enforcement that resulted in two U.S. citizens being fatally shot in Minneapolis.
Currently, slightly under half of American adults, 45%, support his immigration policies.
Brenda Theiss, an independent from Cullman, Alabama, doesn’t approve of all Trump’s actions. However, she credits him for willingly disrupting established patterns to decrease illegal immigration compared to Democratic presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
“I liked Obama; I voted for Obama — but Trump was the only one that did something. All of the other presidents sat back and went, ‘Well there’s nothing we can do,’” the 73-year-old said. “He’s closing the border. He did it. Biden didn’t do it. For that, I give him one hundred.”
Recent months have seen the Trump administration seemingly adjust its immigration strategy, shifting away from aggressive, highly visible tactics toward more discreet enforcement methods.
Immigration continues as one of Trump’s stronger areas among Republicans. Roughly 8 out of 10 support his immigration policies, approximately 10 points above those who rate his overall presidential performance positively.
Trump’s management of the Iranian war remains widely unpopular.
Only about one-third of American adults support Trump’s Iran approach. Approximately two-thirds of Republicans approve, though last month’s AP-NORC survey found younger Republicans more likely than older ones to disapprove of Trump’s Iran performance.
Similarly, about one-third of Americans endorse Trump’s foreign policy approach. Despite Trump focusing on more assertive international strategies this year — including capturing the leader of Venezuela and threatening Cuba — Americans’ overall foreign policy opinions haven’t changed substantially in recent months.
Amanda Wylie, a 22-year-old who lives in Athens, Georgia, says Iran represents one of the few areas where Trump lacks her support.
“I feel like we’re wasting resources over there at this point and not for the benefit of the American people,” said Wylie, who identifies as a Republican-leaning independent. “Especially if everyone is worried about gas prices and the ultimate goal of this is to prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapon. Yes, that’s important, but at what cost?”
The AP-NORC survey of 1,117 adults was conducted May 14-18 using a sample from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, designed to represent the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all adults is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.
