Many polls over the last year and a half show how unpopular President Donald Trump is and how low his approval rating has fallen.
One recent poll asks a unique question: Whether voters agree with certain words as they’re applied to the president.
President Donald J. Trump speaks with members of the media alongside outgoing White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, before boarding Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, Friday, August 21, 2026, en route to South Carolina. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)
President Donald J. Trump delivers remarks on the economy at Rockland Community College in Suffern, New York on Friday, May 22, 2026.(Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian)
As Axios cites, The Economist and YouGov conducted the poll. It asked 1,461 U.S. registered voters whether they believe certain words accurately describe Trump.
When asked, 53 percent of respondents said “corrupt” applies to the president, while 51 percent agreed with “dangerous.” A further 47 percent say he’s “out-of-touch,” and 46 percent agree with “cruel.” And while 45 percent said the word “bold” applies to Trump, an equal number agreed that “racist” applied as well.
Another 42 percent agreed that the president was “divisive,” while 37 percent said he was “strong.” When asked if Trump was “effective,” 33 percent said yes, while for “honest,” only 23 percent did.
Axios noted that the polling “hasn’t been pretty” for the president who, for his part, has threatened FCC investigations of “fake” polls. But Trump has nevertheless opted to center himself in this year’s midterm elections.
Bad News For Trump
The Economist/YouGov poll also asked other questions about Trump, with not much good news for the president.
When asked if they approve of Trump’s handling of his job as president, 40 percent said “total approve,” and 50 percent answered, “total disapprove.”
Even worse for the president, he’s not above 50 percent approval on any one issue, not even 45 percent on immigration, his strongest issue.
When asked if Trump is “honest and trustworthy, or not?”, 31 percent answered positively and 58 percent negatively.
The overall number is about in line with recent polling of Trump’s approval, with the RealClearPolling average currently showing Trump with an average approval rating of 39.8 percent and a disapproval rating of 58 percent.
The RCP average, which includes the Economist/YouGov Poll, contains no polls showing Trump in positive territory, and all but one put him in negative territory by double digits.
After spending the opening weeks of his presidency in positive territory in the RCP average, Trump went into the red in March of 2025, and has stayed there ever since.
Other Findings
Looking more broadly at the Economist//YouGov poll finds plenty more bad news for the president and his party. When asked if the country is on the right or wrong track, 64 percent say “off on the wrong track,” while just 29 percent say things are “generally headed in the right direction.”
When asked if things in the country are “under control” or “out of control,” 67 percent answered the latter and 19 percent the former.
When it comes to Iran, respondents of the poll were asked whether the United States made a mistake in sending troops in various wars throughout history.
In the poll, 50 percent say it was a mistake to send troops to Iran, which is the second-most of any war listed, behind only Vietnam (56 percent).
In the poll, 49 percent say sending troops to Iraq was a mistake, and 45 percent say so for Afghanistan. Just 10 percent of respondents say sending troops into World War II was a mistake.
There are also lots of questions in the survey about terrorism, in time with the recent anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and one is whether the country has gotten more or less safe from terrorism since Trump became president. In the poll, 29 percent say “safer,” 45 percent say “less safe,” while 19 percent say “about the same.”
The poll also asked about political violence, and whether it’s ever justified for citizens to “resort to violence in order to achieve political goals.” To that, 16 percent say it is, while 73 percent say it’s not.
However, when asked whether the U.S. has more or less political violence than it did ten years ago, 75 percent said more, 15 percent said “the same amount,” and 3 percent said less.
When asked whether political violence is more associated with different political tendencies, 31 percent answered “mostly by the left,” 29 percent said “mostly by the right,” and 27 percent said, “by both equally.”
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
