WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Republicans are unhappier with President Donald Trump’s handling of the economy than they were a few months ago, but they’re largely continuing to stand behind him as the , a new AP-NORC poll finds.
About 6 in 10 Republicans approve of how Trump is handling the economy, according to the poll from . That’s down from about 8 in 10 , before the war began.
The poll comes as the war with Iran fuels , while the U.S. and Iran struggle to move toward . Trump鈥檚 hold on the GOP remains strong, as he demonstrated on Tuesday when his handpicked candidate , a Trump critic, in a primary election challenge. The findings highlight Trump’s continued strength within the Republican Party, even as economic frustration grows.
Ariel Gutierrez, a 55-year-old Republican in Wisconsin, usually requires his teenage children to pay for their own gas. But with , he鈥檚 helping out his 15-year-old, who鈥檚 just learning how to drive.
鈥淭he whole Iran issue has just exacerbated it,鈥� he said. 鈥淢aybe we were seeing it in groceries before, but now 鈥� with this push on gas and travel and all that 鈥� that is how people want to live the leisure part of their lives … and it is directly impacting us there now. And yes, that is, I believe from Trump鈥檚 policies, not from his predecessors.鈥�
Trump remains unpopular outside his base. Most Americans continue to disapprove of Trump鈥檚 approach to both Iran and foreign policy. His overall approval rating in the new poll stands at 37%, up slightly from 33% in April. Nearly all Democrats disapprove of his performance as president, as do about 7 in 10 independents.
The economy remains a struggle
About one-third of U.S. adults approve of how Trump is handling the economy. That鈥檚 in line with an , but down slightly from the start of his second term, when 40% of U.S. adults approved.
The economy was a strength for Trump in his first term, but about his handling of the issue last year, after to bring prices down. His second-term economic approval has fallen among Republicans, in particular. While a majority, 63%, still approve, that鈥檚 down from 79% in February, a few weeks before the war with Iran began.
Richard Baumgartner, a 77-year-old Republican from Las Vegas, believes higher costs are a necessary side effect of the war, which he supports.
鈥淯nfortunately, because of the war, the economy is a little bit off kilter,鈥� Baumgartner said. 鈥淚 think it鈥檒l fall back into place after things resolve over there. Temporary price increases 鈥� it鈥檚 unfortunate, but it鈥檚 something that has to be confronted in a situation like this where you have a very serious problem.鈥�
Trump regains some strength on immigration
While economic promises were pivotal to Trump鈥檚 reelection, so were 鈥� and this issue may be reemerging as an asset.
Immigration emerged as one of Trump鈥檚 strengths early in his second term, with about half of U.S. adults saying they liked his approach, but approval of his handling of the issue dipped to 38% in January and February, after months of aggressive immigration enforcement that led to the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis.
Now, just under half of U.S. adults, 45%, approve of how he is handling that issue.
Brenda Theiss, an independent from Cullman, Alabama, doesn’t like everything Trump is doing. But she gives him credit for being willing to disrupt the status quo to reduce the flow of immigrants who are in the country illegally compared to Democratic presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
鈥淚 liked Obama; I voted for Obama 鈥� but Trump was the only one that did something. All of the other presidents sat back and went, 鈥榃ell there鈥檚 nothing we can do,’鈥� the 73-year-old said. 鈥淗e’s closing the border. He did it. Biden didn’t do it. For that, I give him one hundred.鈥�
Over the past few months, the Trump administration has its approach on immigration, moving in many ways away from aggressive, public-facing tactics toward a quieter approach to enforcement.
Immigration remains one of Trump鈥檚 stronger issues among Republicans. About 8 in 10 approve of his handling of the issue, which is roughly 10 points higher than the share that say he鈥檚 doing a good job as president.
Few approve of Trump on Iran or issues abroad
Trump’s handling of the war with Iran remains unpopular.
Only about one-third of U.S. adults approve of how Trump is handling Iran. Roughly two-thirds of Republicans approve, though that younger Republicans are more likely to disapprove of Trump’s performance on the issue than older ones.
Similarly, about one-third of Americans approve of Trump鈥檚 approach to foreign policy. Though Trump has zeroed in on a more aggressive international approach this year 鈥� including and 鈥� Americans鈥� views of his overall handling of foreign policy have in recent months.
Amanda Wylie, a 22-year-old who lives in Athens, Georgia, says Iran is one of the few issues where Trump doesn’t have her support.
鈥淚 feel like we鈥檙e wasting resources over there at this point and not for the benefit of the American people,鈥� said Wylie, who identifies as a Republican-leaning independent. 鈥淓specially if everyone is worried about gas prices and the ultimate goal of this is to prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapon. Yes, that鈥檚 important, but at what cost?鈥�
___
The AP-NORC poll of 1,117 adults was conducted May 14-18 using a sample drawn from NORC鈥檚 probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
