Trump approval rating drops in new poll; more Americans oppose immigration policies

Support for President Donald Trump’s immigration policies fell in a new poll, with stark differences among Republicans and Democrats on deportations and the use of detention facilities.

The poll, released July 20 by CBS/YouGov, found that immigration is the top issue that swayed respondents’ opinion on the president. Sixty-one percent said immigration and deportation policies “mattered a lot,” followed by inflation and the economy.

Overall, the poll puts Trump’s approval rating at 42%, with disapproval at 58%. The survey previously found Trump’s approval rating was 45% in June and 47% in mid-April.

In contrast, the second-term president’s aggregate ratings from The New York Times and Real Clear Politics show a 44% and 45.5% approval, respectively, and a 53% and 52% disapproval.

In the latest CBS poll, 56% disapproved of the president’s immigration stances, while 44% approved. That’s a 10-point drop from polling at the beginning of Trump’s second term in February, the outlet reported.

The poll specifically asked respondents about the administration’s mass deportation efforts. Support for the removals has also dropped ten points since February, with a majority now opposed. Less than half − 49% − of respondents said they approved of the deportations in July, compared to 59% in February.

“Approval of the deportation program has slipped over these months to become slightly net-negative now, with support becoming more exclusively drawn from Republicans and MAGA identifiers,” CBS said after the results were released July 20.

Support for Trump’s immigration policies is split among party lines. Nearly all Republicans surveyed − 91% − say they approve of the president’s deportation program. Among Democrats, 14% say they approve, while a majority – 86% – disapproved. Among independents, 59% were against the deportations and 41% were for them.

The administration’s use of detention facilities saw similar results in the July poll, with 58% opposed and 42% in favor of their use. Support was also one sided, with 85% of Republicans approving of the detention facilities, compared to 15% of Democrats.

The poll was conducted between July 16-18 among 2,343 U.S. adult respondents. It has a margin of error of ±2.5 points.

Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@usatoday.com and on X @KathrynPlmr.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Approval rating, immigration: Trump polling numbers drop in new survey