Donald Trump faces plummeting approval as majority label him dangerous

As the administration of Donald J. Trump reaches the midpoint of its second term, the sitting president faces a deepening crisis of public confidence. A broad segment of the American electorate now characterizes the leader of the nation with highly critical terminology, as domestic dissatisfaction reaches levels that could reshape the political landscape in the upcoming November midterm elections.

Public opinion polling indicates that a majority of Americans identify the term dangerous as their primary descriptor for the president. Other labels frequently applied to the president in these surveys include corrupt, racist, and out-of-touch. Conversely, a minority of the population continues to view the president as honest, inspiring, or intelligent. These perceptions are largely divided along partisan lines, with Republican voters generally offering more favorable assessments than their Democratic counterparts.

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The president’s net approval rating sits at negative 24 per cent. Analysts note that this figure represents a lower standing than that held by predecessors at a similar juncture in their respective tenures. Specific policy areas remain primary drivers of this discontent. Disapproval regarding the administration’s handling of immigration stands at 54 per cent, a sentiment mirrored by identical levels of disapproval concerning the president’s approach to race relations. However, the administration maintains a stronger performance on the issue of crime, where the gap between approval and disapproval is comparatively narrow.

In response to public and political scrutiny regarding public safety, the president has advocated for the confirmation of Todd Blanche to lead the Department of Justice. The president has pointed to a reduction in homicide rates as evidence of success, citing data suggesting that murders in major American cities declined by over 20 per cent in 2025. While analysts confirm that this represents the largest single-year percentage drop in recorded history, they maintain that claims regarding the specific scale of the current rate relative to 1900 remain difficult to verify due to historical inconsistencies in data collection and reporting methodologies.

The second term has been marked by several controversies, including the release of the Epstein files, the tactics utilized by ICE agents in immigration enforcement, and a war with Iran that has reportedly impacted the cost of living. Amidst these pressures, the administration has revealed that over 220 million voter files were compromised during the 2020 election cycle and beyond. Officials characterize this as a coordinated campaign of subversion, alleging that the People’s Republic of China obtained sensitive information including names, addresses, driver’s license details, and partial Social Security numbers.

Government agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, have warned that this stolen data facilitates fraudulent absentee ballot requests and the creation of counterfeit ballots. According to these agencies, the scale of this interference aims to erode trust in the democratic process and sway the outcomes of elections. The president has accused various intelligence entities of previously concealing this information. In response to these disclosures, the administration is pushing for the passage of the SAVE America Act to address perceived vulnerabilities in voter databases.

The convergence of low approval ratings and these warnings regarding national security has created a volatile environment for the midterms. Historically, the party holding the White House faces a trend of losing congressional seats midway through a presidential term. While recent data suggests Democrats maintain a lead on generic ballots, analysts caution that the current margin is narrower than in past cycles where the party successfully secured control of the House. Harry Enten noted that the current four-point lead on generic ballots is significantly less than that seen in 2018 or 2006, labeling the numbers a warning sign for the party's momentum.

Context and Future Developments

• Approval Trends: The president’s net approval is currently lower than at the same stage of his first term or the last term of his key Democratic rival Joe Biden.
• Security Concerns: The administration maintains that stolen voter data is being used to conduct identity theft and ballot harvesting, calling for multi-factor authentication and real-time monitoring to secure voter rolls.
• Crime Statistics: While homicides declined by over 20 per cent in 2025, experts caution that comparisons to 1900 are obscured by significant changes in data standardization since 1960.
• Political Risk: The upcoming midterm elections will serve as a test of whether negative public sentiment and national security concerns translate into shifts in congressional power.