CNN poll finds majority of Americans say Trump is focused on the wrong priorities

By Ariel Edwards-Levy, Jennifer Agiesta, Edward Wu, CNN

(CNN) — Public opinion on nearly every aspect of President Donald Trump’s first year back in the White House is negative, a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS finds, with a majority of Americans saying Trump is focused on the wrong priorities and doing too little to address cost of living.

A majority, 58%, calls the first year of Trump’s term a failure.

There’s hardly any good news in the poll for Trump or the Republican Party entering a critical midterm year, with the president’s handling of the economy looming as the defining issue in key House and Senate races.

Asked to choose the country’s top issue, Americans pick the economy by a nearly two-to-one margin over any other topic. The poll suggests Trump is struggling to prove that he’s addressing it. And it finds broad concerns over Trump’s use of presidential power and his efforts to put his stamp on American culture.

Views of economic conditions have remained stable — and largely negative — for the past two years, with about 3 in 10 rating the economy positively. What’s changed in the latest poll is the increased pessimism about the future: Just over 4 in 10 expect the economy to be good a year from now, down from 56% just before Trump was sworn in last January.

A 55% majority say that Trump’s policies have worsened economic conditions in the country, with just 32% saying they’ve made an improvement. Most, 64%, say he hasn’t gone far enough in trying to reduce the price of everyday goods. Even within the GOP, about half say that he should be doing more, including 42% among Republicans and Republican-leaners who describe themselves as members of the “Make America Great Again” movement.

Much of the public doubts that Trump is prioritizing their interests. Just 36% now say he has had the right priorities, down from 45% near the beginning of his term. Only one-third of Americans now say they believe that Trump cares about people like them, down from 40% last March and the worst rating of his political career.

Only 37% say that Trump puts the good of the country above his personal gain, and 32% say that he’s in touch with the problems ordinary Americans face in their daily lives. That includes more than one-quarter of those who approve of Trump’s presidency overall but don’t feel he’s in touch with their problems.

“Even if he is doing some good in areas, he comes across very self-seeking and (shows a) lack of caring about the common good of our citizens,” wrote one person, an independent from Oklahoma, who responded to the poll.

Fewer than half say that Trump has the stamina and sharpness to serve effectively, and just 35% call him someone they’re proud to have as president.

Trump retains his base but has little support beyond it

Trump’s overall job approval rating now stands at 39%, with public opinion on nearly every aspect of his presidency stagnating in the negative. His ratings, which held around 48% last February, declined within the first 100 days of his second term, and have since remained in the low 40s or high 30s.

In some ways, Trump now faces a political situation not dissimilar from his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, who also struggled to convince Americans he was tackling economic concerns.

In contrast to Biden, who garnered more tepidly positive ratings even among many Democrats, Trump retains robust support within his own base. Nearly 9 in 10 Republicans approve of Trump’s performance, and roughly half strongly approve. Among self-described members of the MAGA movement, which includes roughly 40% of GOP aligned-adults, support for Trump is nearly universal.

“He’s not perfect but he’s actually getting results in what he’s doing,” wrote a Republican from Tennessee who responded to the poll.

But Trump’s approval rating among independents now stands at just 29% and he holds virtually no support among Democrats. Only 30% of Latinos and adults younger than 35 now approve, down from 41% among both typically more Democratic groups near the start of his term.

During his first term, Trump’s approval rating on the economy regularly exceeded his overall performance ratings. At the start of his second term, his numbers on immigration stood out as a positive and it remains a key driver for those who support him. Immigration is the most cited issue when Americans who approve of his handling of the presidency are asked to explain why.

But among the broader public, approval ratings suggest he now lacks a similar signature issue. On every issue tested in the poll – an array that included the economy, immigration, foreign policy, management of the federal government and health care – his rating was within a 3-point range of his overall 39% rating.

Most say Trump’s use of power has gone too far

While Americans call the economy their foremost concern, American democracy ranks as a clear second – and among Democrats, it’s a top issue. It also stands at the top of the list of reasons why Americans disapprove of the president’s performance. About a quarter of those who disapprove of Trump say they do so because of his misuse of presidential power or treatment of American democracy.

A 58% majority of the public says that Trump has gone too far in using the power of the presidency and executive branch, up from 52% near the start of his term last year. Most also say he’s gone too far in trying to change cultural institutions like the Smithsonian and the Kennedy Center (62%) and cutting federal programs (57%), with about half saying he’s gone too far in changing the way that the US government works.

At the same time, the share who expect Trump’s presidency to fundamentally change America has declined from 52% last April to 41% now. While most still believe that his second term will significantly change the country, increased numbers now say they’re expecting the changes he makes to eventually fade.

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The CNN poll was conducted by SSRS online and by phone from January 9-12 among a random national sample of 1,209 adults. Results for the full sample have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.