Where is Trump Still Popular?

One year into his presidency, Donald Trump is again breaking records. He is now even more unpopular than at any point in his political career. To mark the first anniversary of his second term, a number of new polls have been released evaluating the president’s popularity across the United States.

The Economist's Approval Tracker shows the president's net approval rating at -19%. Using YouGov data, The Economist has created a cartogram visualizing Trump’s approval rating state by state. This reveals that the president has a positive net approval rating in only 12 of the 50 states. In the remaining 38 states, more voters disapprove than approve of his presidency.

The Economist’s cartogram also highlights the six states that swung to Trump from the Democrats in 2024. In all six of these states, he now has a negative net approval rating.

Strength in Numbers has likewise mapped Trump's approval ratings across the country using data from its monthly Strength In Numbers/Verasight poll. This map allows users to view the president’s approval ratings both at the state level and at a more detailed Census Public Use Microdata Area (PUMA) level. According to the Strength in Numbers map, Trump has a positive net approval rating in only nine states and a negative net approval rating in 41 states.

The map shows his highest approval ratings in West Virginia and Oklahoma. His lowest approval ratings are in Washington, DC (where nearly 89% of the population disapprove of his performance) and in Hawaii.

Taken together, these numbers point to serious challenges for Republicans heading into the midterm elections. Presidents with deeply negative approval ratings have historically struggled to mobilize swing voters and protect vulnerable incumbents, particularly in competitive states.