More than half of U.S. adults believe President Donald Trump hasn’t paid enough attention to the most important problems in the country just one month into his new administration, according to a recent poll.
Approximately 45 percent of people said they think Trump has the correct priorities focusing on immigration, tariffs and directing Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, according to a poll from CNN and SSRS.
Still, 55 percent of survey respondents saying Trump is ignoring the country’s largest issues.
The survey did not delve into what issue those voters feel the president should focus. The 55 percent survey is similar to results from Trump’s first term. For example, in November 2018, 56 percent of survey respondents said they didn’t feel Trump was paying enough attention to the nation’s biggest issues.
The most recent poll is one of a slew released in recent days that shows an overall dip in the president’s approval rating. Polling from Reuters/Ipsos indicates Trump’s approval rating is heading downward. Results found that Trump’s approval rating has dropped one point, from 45 percent to 44 percent, since late January.
That is still a higher approval rating than when Trump took office for the first time in January 2017 and when he left office in January 2021.
This time around, the public knows what to anticipate with the president. A majority of Americans (75 percent) said the president is handling things the way they anticipated – despite believing Trump is not focused on the real priorities, according to the CNN poll.
White men aged 65 and older who identify as Republican or conservative and did not attend college are more likely to approve of Trump’s job as president.
On the campaign trail, Trump promised to crack down on immigration, tighten border restrictions, end inflation, expand oil and gas drilling, reverse many of the Biden administration’s policies, and end the Russia–Ukraine war.
Voters who cast a ballot in the 2024 election said the economy was the No.1 issue for them, according to Gallup.
Yet when asked what the single most significant action Trump has taken so far, respondents to CNN cited immigration, DOGE, reducing government spending and tariffs.
Trump’s efforts to remake the government and drastically reduce spending with Musk’s help appear to be the most controversial policy.
More than half of respondents say Trump is going too far in using the power of the presidency. Trump has signed troves of executive orders attempting to expand his power by circumventing Congress’s authority in allocating funds and reducing the authority of federal bureaucrats.
Only 28 percent believe Musk’s role in the government is a “good thing,” and nearly half oppose the 10 percent tariffs on China and 25 percent tariffs on aluminum and steel.
