Shock Polls: 59% of Americans Disapprove of Trump’s Performance in January 2026

Donald Trump’s approval ratings have taken a noticeable hit as he marks about a year back in the White House. Recent polls from various sources—some leaning left, others more neutral or right-leaning—are painting a pretty consistent picture: a majority of Americans aren’t thrilled with how things are going.

A fresh AP-NORC poll from early January 2026 shows just 40% of U.S. adults approving of Trump’s job performance, with 59% disapproving. That’s a tough spread, and it’s been hovering in that range for months without much bounce.

On specific issues, the numbers look even rougher. Only 37% approve of his handling of the economy (62% disapprove), while immigration sits at 38% approval and 61% disapproval. Foreign policy and trade aren’t faring much better, both around 37% approval and 61% disapproval.

Other surveys tell a similar story. The New York Times/Siena poll put approval at 40%, with many voters saying the country’s heading in the wrong direction and expressing unhappiness with the economy. RealClearPolitics’ average of national polls lands around 42-43% approval and 55% disapproval. Reuters/Ipsos had it at 41%, Wall Street Journal at 45% in one recent readout—basically, nothing breaking above the mid-40s lately.

Trump kicked off his second term with stronger numbers, even crossing 50% early on, but they’ve been underwater since last spring and haven’t really recovered.

The administration points to wins like cooling inflation and dropping food prices in some areas, but broader frustrations—over immigration enforcement, foreign entanglements like the Greenland situation, and other hot-button topics—seem to be weighing things down.

Trump isn’t taking the polls lying down. He’s fired back hard on Truth Social, calling out what he sees as “fake and fraudulent polling” from outlets like the New York Times, ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, and even Fox News and the Wall Street Journal in some cases. He repeated familiar lines about 2020 election polls being way off (claiming he won in a landslide, popular vote and all swing states), and suggested fraudulent polling should basically be treated as a crime.

In one post, he wrote something along the lines of: “Fake and Fraudulent Polling should be, virtually, a criminal offense… They knew what they were doing, trying to influence the Election, but I won in a Landslide… Something has to be done about Fraudulent Polling.”

He’s also threatened to fold some of these poll gripes into lawsuits against media companies. It’s classic Trump—dismissing bad numbers as biased or rigged rather than engaging with the underlying voter concerns.

Republicans still show strong loyalty to him in these polls, but independents and Democrats are locked in opposition, and even some cracks are appearing on key issues within his base. With midterms looming, these numbers could make things tricky for the GOP.

What do you make of it? Do the polls feel off to you, or do they match what you’re hearing from people around you?