Ahead of midterms, Trump's approval ratings continue to decline

(CN) — Despite maintaining a strong approval rating among Republican primary voters, President Donald Trump’s national approval rating continues to dwindle, even among his own party, according to a new national survey.

With primary season underway, results in conservative strongholds like Texas, Kentucky, Louisiana and Indiana have seen each state’s Trump-backed candidates defeating other Republican incumbents and candidates without Trump’s seal of approval. Among all Republicans, 71% said they would vote for candidates Trump endorsed, while 20% said they would vote for an incumbent Trump opposed, according to the Marquette Law School Poll survey.

The results of the primaries mirror those the Marquette survey released Wednesday, which was conducted over six days in late May with 1,000 registered and likely voters participating nationwide.

The survey’s results highlight the enduring influence of Trump within the Republican Party, as his influence and approval ratings remain high among supporters of the MAGA movement and the Republican electorate. Among the 72% of Republican respondents who favorably view the administration and MAGA movement, 87% would vote for a Trump-backed candidate, and 93% approve of the job Trump is doing as president.

As for the remaining 28% of Republicans, only a little over a third of them approve of Trump’s job so far, which is a decrease from previous polls. And the decline in Trump’s approval ratings transcends party lines. Only 7% of Democrats and 17% of Independents approve of how Trump is doing.

Awareness of recent primaries involving Trump-endorsed candidates has been relatively low, according to the poll: Only 29% of Republicans reported hearing or reading about these races, while 34% heard a little and 38% heard nothing at all. Even among “Make America Great Again” Republicans, only 31% reported being highly aware, compared to 23% of non-MAGA Republicans. Democrats were more likely than Republicans to say they closely followed these races.

Key issues such as immigration, foreign policy, tariffs, and the economy most affected people’s opinions across partisan lines. Inflation and the cost of living continue to top the list of public concerns, with 37% identifying them as the most important issues. In an email, Charles Franklin, the director of the Marquette Law School Poll, said that inflation and the cost of living have been the top concerns since 2022.

Gasoline prices were also a topic of significant concern, with 81% of respondents disapproving of how Trump was handling the issue.

In contrast, the survey showed concerns about the war with Iran have declined, as have concerns about immigration and border security.

The results varied on which party is better suited to handle significant issues. Respondents said Republicans tend to have advantages on crime, immigration, border security, and national defense, and a small advantage on the federal deficit and taxes, while Democrats are seen to have advantages on Medicare and Social Security, healthcare and slight advantages on the economy and on inflation.

However, since January, the Republican lead on taxes has narrowed significantly, and their slight edge on the economy has also lessened as confidence in Trump’s ability to reduce inflation has declined since the 2024 election, Franklin said.

“An important shift since January is that now slightly more see the Democrats as better on the economy (by 3 percentage points) and see the Democrats as better by seven points on inflation. The two most important issues with voters, and two that Republicans had small advantages on in January,” Franklin added.

Notably, a significant portion of voters said the two parties are indistinguishable on major issues or that neither is capable of effective leadership, suggesting people have a pretty negative view of both, Franklin said. This sentiment highlights the deep-seated disillusionment many Americans feel toward both parties’ ability to address the country’s most pressing issues.

Ahead of the November midterms, 46% of people said they would vote for the Democratic candidate, and 45% would vote for the Republican candidate. Democrats also have a slight advantage among likely voters.