Why Trump's Polls Stay in the Tank Despite Strong Economic Data
People have been asking why Trump's approval lingers around 39% overall and 36% on the economy—despite 4.3% Q3 GDP growth and inflation at 2.7%. The reason is straightforward: voters see impulsive, self-serving actions that trash facts, consistency, and principle. For instance, Trump's handpicked board renamed the Kennedy Center the "Trump-Kennedy Center," installing signage quickly—despite federal law designating it a JFK memorial and bipartisan experts deeming it illegal without Congress. What did Trump ever do to deserve top billing at such a venue? Pure chutzpah—an absolute act of bullying. Then, his December 18 executive order closed federal offices on December 26, handing an extra paid day off to federal workers. This rewards the bloated bureaucracy he has vowed to gut via DOGE and cuts—rank hypocrisy.
Trump hypes $2,000 checks funded by tariff revenue—but 2025 tariff collections hit about $200 billion, a trivial amount against the ongoing $7 trillion annual spending and $1.8 trillion annual deficit. It's like raising $200 billion in new taxes on a $1.8 trillion shortfall and pretending you have surplus cash to spend. There is none. These checks would be paid 100% by borrowing, sticking the bill on our children and grandchildren. Trump promised deficits would shrink— but he has done nothing towards that end, and they haven’t.
Actually, no benefit whatsoever has emerged from tariffs. They've spiked consumer prices and crippled export markets. Stupid tariffs on coffee, cocoa, and bananas--which are not produced in the U.S. --had to be eliminated because rising prices produced a big backlash. Farmers got crushed by retaliation, needing $12 billion in taxpayer bailouts this year—not to keep them whole, but just to reduce the bleeding. That $12 billion was a drop in the bucket compared to the damage done.
Give credit where due: Trump crushed illegal border crossings to historic lows in weeks—down over 95% from peaks, effectively ending the crisis. But he couldn't leave well enough alone and enacted broad raids that seem indiscriminate, hurting the economy. He claims focus on criminals, but most ICE targets do no such thing—Cato and ICE data show over 70% have no criminal convictions, with violent ones under 10%. Raids hammer legal small businesses and jobs. His aides must see the damage, but don’t appear to push back. Trump's tariffs—hailed as perfect despite zero proven benefits and massive pain—embody his "don't bother me with the facts, my mind's made up” credo. That's why Trump's credibility and favorability tank, even with what appear to be solid economic numbers. Voters demand steady principle, not whims.
I'm not going to take issue with the impact of Trump's "whims" on his popularity but I disagree that they are the driving force of his low approval ratings. I think the blame can be squarely placed on the unrelenting negative press coverage he receives, the residual impact of his kangaroo trial outcomes, his steadfast support of Israel (hurting him from the extremes of both parties) and the optics of carrying out what he was elected for in closing the border and getting rid of the invading criminals. If things were fair we would be treated to the heralding of his administrations recovery of nearly 40% of the illegal immigrant children Biden lost track of, sub $3 gas, the bombing of Iran hopefully neutralizing their nuclear ambitions to say nothing of the diminishment of their terror sponsorship, real cuts to federal employment, real increases in enlistment and reestablishing that our armed forces are for defense not sponsors of drag shows, the fact that the impact of the BBB just began 2 days ago. Lastly what I really take issue with your immigrant assertions there is no acknowledgement of what the invasion of 20 million plus mostly indigent invaders impact is on housing (pick a number lets say 5 live together in some type of housing that's 4 million residences removed from inventory is it any wonder why American's can't find an affordable place to live) , our schools, hospitals and local services for actual citizens. Every attempt should be made to remove every one of them, illegally brought here by Biden, and if they can be a net positive to our country allowed to apply legally for reentry.