NBC released a new poll this morning confirming what many already suspected: Americans continue to disapprove of Trump and the way he’s handling—or claiming to handle—major issues, including ones he touted as his strengths, like the economy.
The NBC News Decision Desk Poll shows weak approval on key signature policies, such as tariffs and mass deportations, while revealing strong support for vaccines—a stark contrast to the internal chaos over vaccine policy within his administration.
The president’s overall approval remains in negative territory, with 57 percent disapproving of his performance and 43 percent approving, similar to NBC’s June results. These findings align with The Economist’s weekly YouGov tracking, which places Trump’s approval ratings significantly lower than both Biden’s and Obama’s at comparable points in their presidencies.
Shockingly, it only took two months for his net approval to drop below zero, where it has stayed ever since. Currently, The Economist reports a net approval of -14, while Nate Silver’s polling average places him at -6.9.
As my colleague Julianne McShane previously noted, Trump registered the lowest 100-day approval rating of any president in the past 80 years.
The standout finding in NBC’s latest poll is Americans’ overwhelming support for vaccines: 78 percent of respondents said they back them, including large majorities across Democrats, Republicans, and Independents.
This comes amid turmoil under Robert F. Kennedy’s leadership at the nation’s top health agencies, including the decapitation of leadership at the CDC. The tension reached a peak during a marathon Senate Finance Committee hearing last Thursday, where Kennedy was accused of promoting false claims.
In recent weeks, he has canceled mRNA vaccine research and filled a key advisory panel with critics of vaccines. A letter signed by 1,000 former HHS employees called for his resignation.
On other issues, Americans continue to give Trump poor marks. Just 43 percent approve of his mass deportation policies, though he fares slightly better on broader border security at 47 percent. On trade (41 percent) and inflation (39 percent), approval remains low.
The poll also measured Americans’ emotional reactions: nearly 70 percent of Democrats said they feel “furious” or “angry” about Trump’s actions, while 45 percent of Republicans reported feeling “thrilled” or “happy.”
Read the full poll results here.
