In one key way, Trump has united us all

I have always thought of Donald Trump as the most divisive U.S. president in modern history, causing the greatest political polarization among Americans. Now I have to take that back. Based on nearly a year in office, Trump is turning out to be the Great Uniter.

Thanks to our president, the large majority of the American people are uniting in their disapproval of Trump, cutting across party lines like never before. According to the AP-NORC poll, 67 percent of Americans disapprove of the job that Trump is doing — a much higher percentage than only Democratic disapproval could account for.

Among Republicans, 32 percent disapprove of how Trump is doing, a huge 13 percent increase from March. That degree of disaffection among Republicans, coupled with the high percentage of Democrats and Independents who disapprove of Trump, reveals the greatest oppositional unity across party lines since Trump first took office in 2017.

Not surprisingly, Trump’s high disapproval rating is tied strongly to the economy and cost of living, which polls consistently show as the most critical issue for the American people. Today, low and middle-income Americans are feeling the budget pinch from increasingly higher prices with tens of millions struggling to make ends meet.

A large majority of Americans say that their costs have increased for groceries, utilities, health care, housing, and gasoline, with Democrats, Republicans, and Independents in agreement. Trump’s attempt to convince people that they are doing just fine doesn’t wash with the bleak economic reality that Americans are experiencing.

Higher consumer prices hurt lower and middle-income Americans across all political persuasions. Nearly 70 percent of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy which includes 94 percent of Democrats, 78 percent of Independents, and 32 percent of Republicans.

Most Americans agree that the cause for the increased consumer prices is Trump’s tariffs. In March, according to Gallup, 66 percent of Americans believed that the tariffs were “very likely” to increase prices and 23 percent more said they were “somewhat likely.” Among Republicans, 36 percent believed the tariffs were “very likely” to increase prices and 46 percent believed they were “somewhat likely.”

Overall, 89 percent of Americans proved prophetic about the impact of tariffs. Trump’s tariff policies have contributed directly to their economic pain as businesses have frequently passed the cost of tariff import taxes on to consumers.

That Americans are more united against Trump than ever is revealed in more results from the recent AP-NORC poll. Just 33 percent of respondents approve of how Trump is managing the federal government, a 10 percent drop in his approval rating from March — 68 percent of Republicans approve, down from 81 percent in March. Only 25 percent of Independents approve, down from 38 percent in March.

While Democrats’ disapproval rating of Trump has consistently remained about 90 percent, Republicans’ and Independents’ disapproval ratings have increased significantly, representing growing negative sentiment across the political board.

Among US voters, 43 percent declare as Independents while approximately 27 percent register as Democrats and Republicans respectively. Applying those percentages to Trump’s approval ratings in the AP/NORC center poll, 65 percent of probable voters disapprove of the job Trump is doing.

In March, that percentage was 52 percent on average among polls, a remarkable 13 percent increase. Since Democrats' disapproval rating has remained constant, the significant increase in Trump’s disapproval rating comes from Independents and Republicans, again revealing a more unified anti-Trump electorate.

Of the 43 percent of voters who are Independents, about half lean Democratic and half lean Republican. However, 78 percent of Independents today disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy. That means that over half of the Republican-leaning Independents have joined Democratic-leaning Independents in their disapproval of Trump.

Thanks to Trump, we are seeing a united opposition to his job performance that has never been seen. When 78 percent of Independents and 32 percent of Republicans join 90 percent of Democrats in disapproving of Trump’s economic job performance, we are seeing a huge potential bloc of voters whose common experience is stronger than any ideological differences that may divide them.

The strongest uniting factor among Democrats, Republicans, and Independents is a shared understanding that Trump’s tariff policies are inflicting economic pain. Of all the issues that concern Americans, nothing hits families more directly than the cost of living, Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike.

Of course, Trump won’t be on the ballot in the 2026 midterm elections. But the most united disapproval of Trump ever seen may have a huge impact on the election as Americans use their most powerful constitutional right to express their anger and frustration.

Not only do the vast majority of Americans rightfully blame Trump for their economic hardship, they are revulsed by cowardly Republican politicians who dance obediently to Trump’s tune, spreading and amplifying his lies to justify the sorry state of the economy. The Vice President, Republican Congress members, cabinet appointees, and red-state governors are complicit in enabling Trump to undermine the economic welfare of Americans.

The Great Uniter may rue the day that he brought Americans across the political spectrum together in common purpose: to send the craven political scoundrels packing on election day and condemn Trump to the depths of lame-duck hell.

• Tom Tyner is a freelance editorialist, satirist, political analyst, blogger, author and retired English instructor