Staggering New Trump Approval Ratings Show What US Really Thinks Of Him With Shock Result From One State
Five months into Donald Trump’s second term, the numbers are finally painting a clearer picture of what Americans really think — and one state delivered a result that stunned everyone.
Back in January 2025, Trump held a 49% approval rating. Not perfect, not terrible — but steady enough for a president settling into his second round in the Oval Office. Fast-forward to now, and the landscape has shifted.
A new nationwide survey from Emerson College Polling dropped this week, and the results aren’t as neat as the White House might prefer. According to the poll, 45% of voters approve of Trump’s performance, 46% disapprove, and 9% still can’t decide what to make of him. Basically, the country remains split right down the middle — a familiar story, but with a few new wrinkles.
One of those wrinkles: the national mood. More than half of respondents — 53% — believe the country is “on the wrong track.” Meanwhile, 48% say the U.S. is heading in the right direction. That tension, the push-and-pull between optimism and disillusionment, is shaping the political atmosphere more than any single policy speech could.
Spencer Kimball, the executive director of Emerson College Polling, summed up where things might be heading next. With the midterm elections creeping closer, the Democrats have a slight advantage on generic ballots: 37% of independent voters lean Democrat, while just 27% lean Republican. But the real kicker? A full 36% of independents haven’t made up their minds at all.
That undecided block is a powder keg. And whichever party figures out how to reach them first will tilt the entire balance of the upcoming midterms.
But the biggest shock didn’t come from the national poll. It came from Texas — a state Republicans usually count on like clockwork.
A second survey, released by the University of Texas and the Texas Politics Project, showed Trump’s approval sliding to 44%, with 55% of Texans saying they disapprove of his performance. That kind of number coming out of a historically red, fiercely conservative state turned heads fast.
Digging deeper into the Texas data, the dissatisfaction becomes even clearer.
On the economy — traditionally Trump’s strongest talking point — 51% of Texans disapprove of his handling, while only 39% approve. Inflation and rising prices hit even harder: 52% disapprove, and only 34% approve. For Texas, a state usually more forgiving of Republican missteps, this represents a real shift.
The Lone Star State hasn’t suddenly turned blue, but Texans are clearly feeling economic pressure, and they’re blaming the administration for it.
Put the two polls together and you start to see the bigger picture. Nationally, Trump isn’t collapsing, but he isn’t rising either. And in a key conservative stronghold, support is cracking around the edges.
These numbers show a country that’s still as divided as ever — politically, emotionally, and economically. Half the population sees Trump as doing enough. The other half sees a leader steering the ship the wrong way. And a big chunk of Americans, especially independents, are just waiting to see what happens next.
Whatever comes out of the midterm cycle will be shaped by these undecided voters, the ones who aren’t impressed enough to support Trump outright but aren’t ready to align with Democrats either. They’re frustrated, skeptical, and watching closely to see who actually addresses the issues that hit home: cost of living, wages, stability, and trust.
For now, Trump’s approval rating sits on a knife’s edge — not a disaster, but far from the early-term boost presidents often enjoy. And if Texas is any indicator, even some of his most loyal states are starting to question whether the promises of economic strength and lower costs will actually materialize.
This story isn’t about a president collapsing in the polls. It’s about a country showing exactly where it’s hurting — and sending a warning shot to anyone who thinks loyalty is permanent.
The next few months will decide whether these numbers are just early-term turbulence… or the start of a deeper shift that could reshape the next election cycle entirely.