A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll taken days before President Donald Trump's address to Congress found that six in 10 Americans disapprove of his job performance.
Yet Democrats have made little progress convincing the public they have better ideas, leaving a large bloc saying they trust neither party to handle the country's biggest problems.
Other recent polling also suggests Democrats are struggling to convince voters they offer a viable alternative.
A Quinnipiac University survey released Dec. 17, 2025, showed approval of Democrats in Congress at a record low in the trend line.
An AP-NORC poll reported on Feb. 18 found only about 70% of Democrats viewed their party positively, down from 85% in September 2024.
Trump's approval in the Feb. 12-17 Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll stood at 39%, with 60% disapproving, including 47% who said they strongly disapprove. Among registered voters, 41% approved and 58% disapproved.
It also found that 31% of respondents trusted neither Trump nor Democrats in Congress on issues.
Majorities disapproved of Trump's handling of the economy, tariffs, inflation, and relations with other countries.
Inflation drew his weakest marks, with 32% approving. On the economy overall, 41% approved, and the gap between approval and disapproval narrowed compared with a Post-ABC-Ipsos poll from October.
The findings suggested political opportunity for Democrats heading into the 2026 midterm elections but also underscored the party's difficulty translating dissatisfaction with Trump into confidence in its own agenda.
Asked whom they trust to handle major issues, 33% chose Trump, and 31% chose Democrats in Congress. Another 31% said neither, a share that left both sides competing against public cynicism as much as against each other.
Views of Trump's use of executive authority were also negative.
Nearly two-thirds, 65%, said he has gone beyond his authority. A majority, 56%, said he is not committed to protecting Americans' rights and freedoms.
More than six in 10, 62%, said he is using the presidency to enrich himself, and 56% said his administration has not been transparent in releasing government files from the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
Partisan divisions remained sharp.
In the poll, 85% of Republicans approved of Trump, while 94% of Democrats and 69% of independents disapproved. Republicans' intensity softened, with 48% saying they strongly approve, down from 63% a year ago.
On immigration, opinion was split on Trump's call to deport an estimated 14 million undocumented immigrants, with 50% supporting that goal and 48% opposing it.
At the same time, 58% said he is going too far in trying to deport undocumented immigrants, a rise over the past 10 months.
On tariffs, the poll showed 34% approving and 64% disapproving.
The Supreme Court on Feb. 20 struck down Trump's tariff program imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, finding the law did not authorize tariffs.
The Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll was conducted Feb. 12-17 among 2,589 U.S. adults using Ipsos KnowledgePanel, with a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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