A recent poll by the Marquette Law School Poll found that Trump’s approval ratings remain high among MAGA Republicans, despite a steady decline among other voters.
(CN) – Despite maintaining a strong approval rating among Republican primary voters, President Donald Trump’s national approval rating continues to slide, even among his own party, according to a new national poll.
As the primary season begins, results in conservative strongholds like Texas, Kentucky, Louisiana and Indiana have seen each state’s Trump-backed candidates beat incumbents and other Republican candidates without Trump’s stamp of approval. Among all Republicans, 71% said they would vote for Trump-endorsed candidates, while 20% said they would vote for an incumbent Trump opposed, according to the Marquette Law School Poll.
The primary election results mirror those of the Marquette poll released Wednesday, which was conducted over six days in late May with 1,000 registered and likely voters nationwide.
The poll results highlight Trump’s enduring influence within the Republican Party, as his influence and approval ratings remain high among supporters of the MAGA movement and the Republican electorate. Among the 72% of Republican respondents who view the administration and the MAGA movement favorably, 87% would vote for a Trump-backed candidate and 93% approve of the job Trump is doing as president. Additionally, 22% of these respondents said they would abstain from voting in such a primary, further reinforcing Trump’s influence on the outcome.
As for the remaining 28% of Republicans, just over a third of them approve of Trump’s job so far, down from previous polls. And Trump’s declining approval ratings cut across party lines. Only 7% of Democrats and 17% of independents approve of the way Trump is doing.
Awareness of recent primaries involving Trump-endorsed candidates has been relatively low, according to the poll: just 29% of Republicans reported hearing or reading about these races, while 34% heard a little and 38% heard nothing at all. Even among Make America Great Again Republicans, only 31% reported being very aware, compared to 23% of non-MAGA Republicans. Democrats were more likely than Republicans to say they follow these races closely.
Top issues like immigration, foreign policy, tariffs and the economy had the biggest impact on people’s opinions across party lines. Inflation and the cost of living continue to top the list of public concerns, with 37% identifying them as the most important issues. Gasoline prices were also a topic of concern, with 81% of respondents disapproving of the way Trump was handling the issue.
The poll also showed that worries about war with Iran have fallen, as have concerns about immigration and border security.
Results varied on which party is best suited to address important issues. Respondents said Republicans tend to have advantages on crime, immigration, border security and national defense, and a slight advantage on the federal deficit and taxes, while Democrats are seen as having advantages on Medicare and Social Security, health care, and slight advantages on the economy and inflation. Since January, however, Republicans’ tax lead has narrowed significantly, and their slight edge on the economy has shrunk as well.
In particular, a significant proportion of voters said that the two parties do not differ on key issues or that neither is capable of effective leadership. The sentiment underscores the deep frustration many Americans feel with the ability of both parties to address the nation’s most pressing issues.
Before the midterm elections in November, 46% of people said they would vote for the Democratic candidate and 45% said they would vote for the Republican candidate. Democrats also have a slight advantage among likely voters.
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