As Donald Trump doubles down on his immigration crackdown, new polling suggests the strategy may be backfiring. His longtime supporters have now started turning against the president as his approval rating has dipped in multiple recent surveys.
According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted between Jan. 23 and 25, Trump’s overall approval rating has dropped to 38 percent, while his disapproval rating has reached a staggering 59 percent.
His popularity has dipped by three points in just over 10 days, after he posted a 41 percent approval rating in a poll conducted between Jan. 12 and 13.
US President Donald Trump’s approval rating among Americans has fallen to its lowest level since his return to the White House, Reuters reports.About 58% of respondents said US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have gone “too far” in their actions pic.twitter.com/Zc7lSngmZ3
— Valhalla (@ELMObrokenWings) January 27, 2026
The federal government’s implementation of immigration policies has played a major role in the dwindling ratings. The recent survey was done at a time when Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, was shot dead by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis.
The 37-year-old was trying to protect a woman from being pepper-sprayed by the officers when he was fired upon multiple times. Earlier this month, Renee Nicole Good, another Minneapolis resident, faced a similar fate after being shot three times in her car by an ICE agent.
These incidents have sparked widespread backlash, with many fearing that even legal citizens are not safe from ICE’s wrath. Hence, approval of Trump’s immigration policy has fallen to its lowest level.
Only 39% of US citizens now support the government’s stance on immigration, while 53% oppose it. In comparison, the approval rating was 50% in February 2025, just a month after Trump’s second inauguration.
Another poll by The New York Times/Siena paints a similar picture. The survey reveals the President’s approval rating to be only 40%. The publication also asked survey respondents whether the country was in better or worse condition than a year ago.
49% of participants believed that the situation had become worse during the first year of Trump’s second term, while only 32% said that it was better.
The poll says that 42% Americans believe Trump is going to go down as one of the worst Presidents in the country’s history. On the other hand, 19% still believe that he is on the track to become one of the best presidents ever.
Trump sitting at 39% approve before this coming wave of post-Pretti polls. Let’s see how much this latest scandal lowers his approval. pic.twitter.com/Qx41dPqfpz
— Michael (@Socdem_Michael) January 27, 2026
Apart from the ICE crackdown, inflation is another reason Trump is losing support. While the Republican leader promised that he would curb inflation soon after taking office, people have seen little to no improvement in their financial condition over the past year.
However, Trump is adamant that all these polls are just trying to portray him in a negative light. He has even threatened to sue The New York Times over its survey. After the poll results were published, Trump took to Truth Social to bash his critics.
He wrote on January 22, “The Times Siena Poll, which is always tremendously negative to me, especially just before the Election of 2024, where I won in a Landslide, will be added to my lawsuit against The Failing New York Times.”
The 79-year-old further accused the publication of computing fake results and favoring Democrats. He wrote, “Our lawyers have demanded that they keep all Records, and how they ‘computed’ these fake results — Not just the fact that it was heavily skewed toward Democrats. They will be held fully responsible for all of their Radical Left lies and wrongdoing!”
