Concerns About Trump’s Leadership Among Americans
A recent poll reveals that many Americans perceive the nation as heading in a concerning direction under President Donald Trump. Released Monday, the survey from NPR/PBS News/Marist indicates that 55% of U.S. adults believe Trump’s presidency is steering the country negatively. In contrast, 37% feel he has brought positive change, while 8% think his leadership hasn’t made any significant difference. This poll comes just a day before Trump’s first official State of the Union address in his second term, which is set for Tuesday night.
The gap between those who view the country’s trajectory as worsening versus improving is now 18 percentage points, doubling from the previous year. In an April 2025 poll, 51% thought the nation was on a downward path under Trump, while 42% felt it was on the upswing.
The White House has yet to address the findings of this poll.
Moreover, the poll indicates that 53% of respondents feel Trump’s policies have personally impacted them in a negative way, an increase from 49% last April. Meanwhile, 30% reported a mostly positive effect from his policies, and 17% claimed they were unaffected.
Notably, among different demographics, 85% of Democrats, 58% of independents, and 13% of Republicans believe Trump’s policies are detrimental to them personally. Interestingly, almost 7 in 10 Republicans—69%—state that they have benefited from his policies.
Lee Miringoff, the director of the Institute for Public Opinion at Marist College, which conducted the survey, mentioned that it’s common for presidents to have extensive agendas. He remarked that Trump’s to-do list seems particularly lengthy, as discussed on NPR. Miringoff pointed out that Trump’s upcoming speech presents a significant opportunity for him to reconnect with the public. However, he acknowledged the challenge given the entrenched views of many people regarding the president.
In a related observation, more than a dozen House Democrats have declared their intention to boycott Trump’s State of the Union address, opting instead to hold their own rally in Washington, D.C.
Reports suggest that Democratic Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger will present the party’s official response to Trump’s speech on Tuesday. Additionally, California Senator Alex Padilla is set to deliver the Democratic response in Spanish.
The NPR/PBS News/Marist poll, which surveyed 1,462 adults across the country, was conducted from January 27-30. The methodology included various contact methods: phone calls, texts, and online interactions with live interviewers.
The results have a statistical significance of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points for all adults surveyed, while the findings for U.S. registered voters have a margin of error of 3.0 percentage points.
