One year in, most Republicans feel President Trump has done more than expected — but Americans overall (including many of his supporters) say there still hasn’t been enough focus on lowering prices.
That sentiment has been a regular theme throughout his second term. It matters to Americans because a large majority continues to say their incomes aren’t keeping pace with inflation.
People say prices, specifically, are the top way they judge the overall economy, so other measures — like the stock market or even jobs — don’t move the needle for them quite the same way that prices do.
By contrast, Americans today believe the administration puts too much focus on events overseas.
Still, despite the net negativity, the views of Mr. Trump and Republicans’ approaches to the economy and immigration issues nonetheless outpace perceptions of the Democrats’ approach.
Looking back over that first year, few Americans feel that the president’s policies have made them better off. In fact, more say worse than either the same or better.
(A year ago, the expectation among many was that Mr. Trump’s policies would improve their finances.)
As he talks about the economy of late, the president’s ratings on his handling of it have come off their lows this term.
As Mr. Trump has publicly disagreed with some of the Fed’s decisions, a large majority continue to think it’s best for the economy if the Fed makes decisions independently from what the president wants.
Issues related to finances, like the economy, jobs, and inflation, remain high priorities in the minds of Americans. And with recent attention on the events in Minneapolis, as well as those overseas, the issues of immigration and international events have seen a bump up in importance.
How do you feel about Trump’s presidency?
Americans are generally mixed on how much the president has done in this first year of his second term; most in his party feel he’s done more than expected. Americans overall say he’s either done more or about what they’d thought.
Those who feel he’s done less than expected overall are especially likely to say he’s not focused enough on lowering prices.
Americans pick a wide range of sentiments to describe how Mr. Trump’s first term has made them feel. “Uneasy” and “frustrated” emerge as top picks; Republicans are more apt to pick “confident” and “satisfied,” and “safe” but not at the rate that Democrats pick words like “uneasy.”
Overall Trump approval
The president’s overall approval hasn’t changed substantially in recent months and has been steady in recent weeks.
The past year, Mr. Trump has seen routinely solid approval from his Republican base (especially from MAGA, and especially on immigration) as he does today. But over the course of the year he’s also seen declines among independents and younger people, among others, which has coincided with the declines in views on his handling of the economy and inflation that took place over the year.
Comparison to Democrats
Despite the majority disapproval for Trump on the issues, Trump and the Republicans’ approaches to both the economy and immigration still outpace views of the Democrats’ approaches. Plenty say neither or aren’t sure as the nation heads into another election year.
While more rank-and-file Democrats unsurprisingly think their party has the better approach, few of them have a lot of confidence in the ability of congressional Democrats to effectively oppose Trump, and their confidence has only decreased from a year ago.
This CBS News/YouGov survey was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 2,523 U.S. adults interviewed between January 14-16, 2026. The sample was weighted to be representative of adults nationwide according to gender, age, race, and education, based on the U.S. Census American Community Survey and Current Population Survey, as well as 2024 presidential vote. The margin of error is ±2.3 points.
