Over half of Americans believe President Donald Trump has exceeded his power since stepping into office for his second term, according to a Washington Post-Ipsos poll.
Since entering office, Donald Trump has taken numerous actions to disrupt and shrink the federal bureaucracy, garnering mixed reviews from the American public.
The poll found that 43% of respondents supported what the president had done during his first month in office and 48% opposed it. However, those who strongly oppose (37%) far outnumber those who strongly support (27%).
When it comes to political affiliation, Trump unsurprisingly garners the most support from Republicans, with nine in 10 supporting his actions compared to nine in 10 Democrats opposing his actions.
For independents, one in three supports his plan, while half oppose, with the remainder undecided.
As for Trump’s right-hand man, billionaire Elon Musk, reviews are more negative with the poll finding that 34% approve of the way Musk is handling his job, 49% disapprove and 14% undecided. However, Americans disapprove of Musk's two-to-one margin for shrinking federal agencies he deems unnecessary.
“Elon Musk may be a brilliant man, but he is not good working with people and does not know what he is doing quite frankly,” an independent white woman from Texas who opposes Trump said when asked what are the best and worst things Trump has done.
As for major issues, a majority disapprove of how Trump handles the economy (53% disapproving to 45% approving) and similar approval ratings can be seen for how he manages the federal government (54% approving).
When it comes to tariffs, six in 10 Americans disapprove of tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods.
Sentiment on the economy also differs between democrats and republicans, with 11% rating the economy as poor, down from 50% mid-last year and 26% of democrats rating the economy as poor, up from 11% in a previous poll.
One of the most contentious issues in the US is immigration with 50% approving how Trump handles the issue and 48% disapproving.
Since Trump was elected president, sentiment to leave the country has risen greatly among marginalised communities due to gun violence and far-right politics.
In a November 2024 poll conducted by Gallop, they found that the amount of U.S. respondents (who were grouped with Canada) wishing to exit the country permanently grew from 10% in 2011 to 18% in 2023 and had been steadily increasing over the past 12 years.
