成人X站

WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Eric Hildenbrand has noticed prices continue to rise this year, even with President Donald Trump in the White House. He doesn鈥檛 blame Trump, his choice for president in 2024, but says Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democrats who control his home state, California, are at fault.

鈥淵ou can鈥檛 compare California with the rest of the country,鈥� said Hildenbrand, who is 76 and lives in San Diego. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what鈥檚 going on in the rest of the country. It seems like prices are dropping. Things are getting better, but I don鈥檛 necessarily see it here.鈥�

Voters like Hildenbrand, whose support of the Republican president is unwavering, help explain Trump鈥檚 polling numbers and how they have differed from other presidents鈥� polling trajectory in significant ways. found that 42% of U.S. adults approved of Trump’s job performance. That is a lower rating than those of other recent presidents including Democrat Barack Obama and Republican George W. Bush.

from July, puts Trump at 40% approval. While that is not a meaningful change from March, there is some evidence that Trump’s support may be softening, at least on the margins. The July poll showed a slight decrease in approval of his handling of immigration since earlier in the year. Some other pollsters, , show a downward slide in overall approval since slightly earlier in his term, in January.

But even those shifts are within a relatively narrow range, which is typical for Trump. The new AP-NORC polling tracker shows that Trump鈥檚 favorability rating has remained largely steady since the end of his first term, with between 33% and 43% of U.S. adults saying they viewed him favorably across more than five years.

Those long-term trends underscore that Trump has many steadfast opponents. But loyal supporters also help explain why views of the president are hard to change even as he pursues policies that most Americans do not support, using an approach that many find abrasive.

Persistently low approval of Trump鈥檚 job performance

Trump has not had a traditional honeymoon period in his second term. He did not in his first, either.

, two months into his first term, showed that 42% of Americans 鈥渟omewhat鈥� or 鈥渟trongly鈥� approved of his performance. That is largely where his approval rating stayed over the course of the next four years.

The recent slippage on immigration is particularly significant because that issue was a major strength for Trump in the 2024 election. Earlier in his second term, it was also where he was outperforming his overall approval. In March, about half of U.S. adults approved of his handling of immigration. But the July AP-NORC poll found his approval on immigration at 43%, in line with his overall approval rating.

Other recent polls show growing discontent with Trump’s approach on immigration. found that 55% of U.S. adults say the president has gone too far when it comes to deporting immigrants who are living in the United States illegally, an increase of 10 percentage points since February.

鈥淚 understand wanting to get rid of illegal immigrants, but the way that鈥檚 being done is very aggressive,鈥� said Donovan Baldwin, 18, of Asheboro, North Carolina, who did not vote in the 2024 election. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 why people are protesting because it comes off as aggression. It鈥檚 not right.鈥�

Ratings of Trump’s handling of the economy, which were more positive during his first term, have been persistently negative in his second term. The July poll found that few Americans think Trump鈥檚 policies have benefited them so far.

Even if he is not a fan of everything Trump has done so far, Brian Nichols, 58, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is giving him the benefit of the doubt.

Nichols, who voted for Trump in 2024, likes what he is seeing from the president overall, though he has his concerns both on style and substance, particularly Trump鈥檚 social media presence and his on-again, off-again tariffs. Nichols also does not like the push to eliminate federal agencies such as the Education Department.

Despite his occasional disagreements with Trump, though, Nichols said he wants to give the president space to do his job, and he trusts the House and Senate, now run by Republicans, to act as a safeguard.

鈥淲e put him into office for a reason, and we should be trusting that he鈥檚 doing the job for the best of America,鈥� Nichols said.

Overall views of Trump have been fairly steady since 2019

Trump has spent the past six months pushing far-reaching and often unpopular policies. Earlier this year, Americans were bracing themselves for higher prices as a result of his approach to tariffs. The July poll found that most people think Trump鈥檚 tax and spending bill will benefit the wealthy, while few think it will pay dividends for the middle class or people like them.

Discomfort with individual policies may not translate into wholesale changes in views of Trump, though. Those have largely been constant through years of turmoil, with his favorability rating staying within a 10-percentage point range through the COVID-19 pandemic, a felony conviction and attempted assassination.

To some of his supporters, the benefits of his presidency far outweigh the costs.

Kim Schultz, 62, of Springhill, Florida said she is thrilled with just about everything Trump is doing as president, particularly his aggressive moves to deport anyone living in the country illegally.

Even if Trump鈥檚 tariffs eventually take effect and push prices up, she said she will not be alarmed.

鈥淚鈥檝e always had the opinion that if the tariffs are going to cost me a little bit more here and there, I don鈥檛 have a problem with that,鈥� she said.

Across the country, Hildenbrand dislikes Trump鈥檚 personality and his penchant for insults, including those directed at foreign leaders. But he thinks Trump is making things happen.

鈥淢ore or less, to me, he鈥檚 showing that he鈥檚 on the right track,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not in favor of Trump鈥檚 personality, but I am in favor of what he鈥檚 getting done.鈥�

___

Cooper reported from Phoenix.