Expert flags 'perilous' Trump polling number that will 'send shivers' down GOP spines
U.S. President Donald Trump visits a Ford production center in Dearborn, Michigan, U.S., January 13, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
January 16, 2026
President Donald Trump got a scathing assessment of his first year back in office in a new batch of polling.
Public opinion has turned against nearly every aspect of the 79-year-old's presidency in his return to the White House, and CNN'S David Chalian said the network's survey offered few glimmers of optimism for Trump.
"Itis really hard to find even a sliver of goodnews for President Trump in thispoll," Chalian said, "and it's worth noting that just compared to lessthan a year ago, he was at hisbest political ratings of hiscareer, and that has just goneaway, and it is largely, as youjust noted there, due to theeconomy and and the countrythinks that he is focused on thewrong priorities."
The poll found 58 percent of Americans deemed his first year a failure and 64 percent of respondents said Trump was focused on the wrong issues, and Chalian said voters don't like the way he's handled any issue facing him.
"He'sunderwater on every issue," Chalian said. "Thisis also a difference from thefirst term. One of his strongsuits in the first term was theeconomy. It consistently, hepolled better on handling theeconomy than his overall jobapproval. At the beginning ofthis term, it wasimmigration that was the strongsuit. He polled better on thatissue than he polled overall. That is not the case now, he isunderwater on every single issuetested, and there is no realstrong suit. It all kind oflooks at that low 40, upper 30range where you showed hisoverall approval rating, and youjust noted independents."
"Ithink this is the number that isgoing to send shivers down thespines of Republicans on Capitol Hill who are on the ballot thisyear," Chalian added. "He is at 29 percent approvalamong independents. That ispolitically perilous for hisparty."
A majority of Americans – 55 percent – believe that Trump is making things worse as president, according to the survey.
"That is a thatis a tough, tough number for himand his party," Chalian said, "and then justoverall about his use ofpresidential power, 58 percent of Americans, nearly six in 10, sayhe has gone too far when itcomes to using his presidentialpower. Obviously, that isbroader than the economy, but clearly tariffs could be apart of that, as well. This isjust a president and apresidency right now that is notaligned with the country'spriorities, and that is going togive real concern to his partyin this midterm year."