Poll: Optimism That Grew With Trump Is Fading

While the proportion voters who feel the country is on the right track rose sharply at the start of Trump’s second term, the upward movement has since stagnated, and voters remain split with only 40% saying the country is on the right track and 51% still thinking it's on the wrong track.

More important, only 34% feel that their personal financial situation is improving while 43 % feel it is getting worse and 23% say they are "just as well off" meaning that there has not been much change.

These results are from the Harvard-Harris survey of Oct. 1-2, 2025, the most important and accurate of recent polls.

Oddly, the poll reflects broad approval for virtually all of Trump's policies as they fly out of the Oval Office at an astonishing rate.

*78% support deporting illegal immigrants who have committed crimes and 56% support deporting all illegals regardless of whether they have committed crimes while here.

• 68% back creating a government web site to sell meds directly to consumers at lower prices.
• 65% back banning men from female sports.
• 63% support using the military against drug cartels.
• 58% support his cuts in foreign aid.
• 54% support ending bans on offshore drilling.
• 59% support imposing reciprocal tariffs on countries that raise tariffs on us.

But approval of these policies is not enough to offset the general disappointment that his anti-inflation efforts are not more successful.

Of course, the economic stats suggest that he has lowered inflation to almost zero and that incomes have outpaced price increases every month.

But, as they say, don’t confuse us with the facts. We are dealing with perceptions.

It may take a while for perceptions to catch up with the facts, but that may not happen until it is too late for the 2026 midterm elections.

Trump is sitting on a lot of cash in the federal treasury.

His recent decision to spend tariff revenues to stop cuts in the WIC (women and infants feeding) programs hit during the government shutdown could set the precedent for the kind of direct federal subsidy that would turn the perceptions and numbers around in time for the midterms.

But the window for action is closing as the clock ticks. 

Dick Morris is a former presidential adviser and political strategist. He is a regular contributor to Newsmax TV. Read Dick Morris' Reports — here.