President Donald Trump continues to face entrenched public opposition as disapproval of his job performance and economic leadership remains firmly in place, according to a national survey released Jan. 21 by the American Research Group.
The survey finds that 63% of Americans disapprove of the way Trump is handling his job as president, while 35% approve. Those figures are unchanged from December and match his standing in January 2018, indicating that public opinion has remained largely fixed during his time in office.
“The Republican majority has been nothing but compliant as it relates to Donald Trump’s extreme agenda, and so I don’t expect that we’d hear anything out of Republican leadership,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Disapproval is even higher when voters are asked about Trump’s handling of the economy. Sixty-four percent of Americans say they disapprove, while just 32% approve.
In January 2018, 37% approved of Trump’s handling of the economy and 58% disapproved, showing a steady decline in economic confidence over time. Among independents, 65% disapprove of Trump’s handling of economic issues.
The survey shows widespread anxiety about current conditions. Sixty eight percent of Americans say the national economy is getting worse, while only 8 percent say it is getting better. Looking ahead, 69% expect the economy to be worse a year from now, compared with just 10% who believe it will improve.
That pessimism extends across approval lines. Among Americans who approve of Trump’s job performance, 53% say they expect the national economy to worsen over the next year. Among those who disapprove, 76% say the economy will be worse a year from now.
Household finances show similar strain. Sixty percent of Americans rate their financial situation as bad, very bad, or terrible, while 68% say their household finances are getting worse. Six in 10 expect their financial situation to decline further over the next year.
Most Americans now believe the country is already in economic trouble. Sixty one percent say the United States is in a recession, up sharply from one year earlier. Among those who disapprove of Trump’s job performance, 72 percent say the country is in a recession.
Trump’s standing among Black Americans remains especially low. Aggregated national polling shows that roughly three quarters of African Americans disapprove of Trump’s presidency, while fewer than one in five approve, a divide that has remained consistent throughout 2025 and into early 2026.
For some Americans, the polling aligns with what they see and experience each day.
Lawrence Kennedy III, a custodian who lives in Southeast Washington, said Trump bears direct responsibility for the conditions facing Black Americans and others.
“He’s the root of what ails Black Americans, Americans in general, and the world,” Kennedy said. “He’s a cancer. You can’t convince me that evil will prevail. Ultimately, this guy either changes his ways, or he meets the same end as other evildoers on the world scene has met and I’m telling you; it can’t be pretty.”
The survey is based on 1,100 interviews conducted nationwide from Jan. 16 through Jan. 20 and carries a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points. American Research Group noted that its long running monthly survey has lost subscribers amid concerns that unfavorable findings could provoke retaliation from the current administration.
Victoria Burwell, a waitress in Baltimore, said she remains stunned that Trump’s approval rating stands where it does.
“He’s hurting everyone,” Burwell said. “Billionaires might be exempt from the hurt that we feel because his policies help them get richer, but they have to feel it in some ways too. But, to say he has a 35% approval rating is way too high for what he’s done to this country.”