The majority of registered voters don’t think Democrats should automatically resist President Donald Trump’s agenda, a Harvard Harris investigation found.
investigation I asked Respondent: “Do you think Democrats should oppose everything Trump is doing, or should they take a more waiting attitude towards his actions?”
Most respondents, 62% believe they should take a more anticipated attitude rather than immediately oppose Trump’s agenda. This compares to 39% of Democrats who believe they “oppose everything Trump is doing.”
As expected, 64% of most Democrats believe Democrats should oppose everything Trump is doing. 39% of independents and 15% of Republicans agree with them.
Most Republicans, 84%, and independents, 61% believe Democrats should take a meeting attitude rather than blindly oppose them.
The survey asked respondents more specific questions and measured whether Democrats believe they should oppose Trump on tariffs and trade policies, and whether they are looking at how his initiative will unfold in the coming weeks. Although the margins are even more severe, 52% believe Democrats should “see how tariffs play out.” Another 48% said Democrats should oppose it.
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Independents are effectively divided into economic issues. 51% said Democrats should oppose Trump tariffs, compared to 49% who believe they should wait and see how it unfolds.
The investigation also revealed that Democrats appear to need to ride on other Trump initiatives, including reducing government waste. 59% said Democrats should “participate in the government’s mission to reduce waste.”
This is consistent with the reality that Democrats’ approval remains underwater, as 58% disapprove it, compared to 42% that 58% approved. An even larger share of independents, 67%, disapproves Democrats, but only 33% have approved them.
The survey was conducted between April 9-10, 2025, among 2,286 registered voters. +/- There is an error margin of 1.9%.
