Poll: Americans Give Trump Low Marks on Key Issues

A new Washington Post-Ipsos poll presents a complicated picture for President Trump as he attempts to stake out territory on crime and the economy, with most Americans expressing skepticism about his handling of key issues. A look:

• Crime. The survey shows that 54% disapprove of Trump's response to crime, though most don't believe that the other party would do any better. Some 44% said they trust Republicans most on handling crime, compared to 22% for Democrats and 33% who don't trust either party. Only 37% supported Trump's use of the National Guard to patrol Washington, DC, while 42% supported sending troops to other cities to fight crime.

• The economy. The poll found that 68% of Americans rate the economy as "not so good" or "poor," with 70% believing Trump's tariffs are increasing the prices of the things they buy. Only 5% thought tariffs were reducing prices.
• Deportations. Some 47%—including 88% of Republicans and 14% of Democrats—said "most" or "nearly all" of those deported by the administration should have been deported.
• Control of Congress. More Americans—53%—would prefer Democrats to control Congress as a check on Trump than want the GOP to stay in charge, the poll found.

• Presidential authority. Some 62% say Trump has overstepped the limits of his authority, while just over one-third think he's acted within the limits. Asked the same question about former President Biden, 34% said he went beyond his authority during his time as president and 63% said he didn't.
• Trump's overall mark. The poll found that 56% disapprove of how Trump is handling his job and 43% approve. The Post notes that the -13 rating is slightly improved from -16 in its April poll—but in that poll, unlike the September poll, "no opinion" was an option, which 5% of respondents chose.
• Political violence. In another poll this week, Americans were in wider agreement. The Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 94% believe the way Americans talk about politics encourages violence. There was also agreement on disagreement: Almost 80% said Americans are less tolerant of opposing viewpoints than they were 20 years ago, with 10% saying people are more tolerant, and 10% saying they are about the same.