New Trump approval rating poll finds worsening support among MAGA base
- - New Trump approval rating poll finds worsening support among MAGA base
Kathryn Palmer, USA TODAY December 16, 2025 at 6:43 AM
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As he nears the end of the first year back in the White House, President Donald Trump is losing support from two groups that catapulted him to victory in 2024, according to a new poll.
In the latest NBC News Decision Desk poll, enthusiasm for the president among Republicans and those who identify as members of the MAGA movement has dropped since April.
Overall approval of the president has also dropped in that time frame. The latest poll, released Dec. 14, places Trump’s approval rating at 42% and disapproval at 58%. It marks a 3-point drop over the course of four approval rating polls from NBC News since April, the first time the survey was conducted.
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The 18-day poll surveyed 20,252 adults online from Nov. 20 to Dec. 8, and has a margin of error of ±1.9 percentage points in either direction.
His approval rating is similar to daily average polling from The New York Times, which on Dec. 15 placed him at a 43% approval rate. The average disapproval is several points lower than the NBC News poll, at 54%. After months of holding steady, Trump’s approval rating took a slight dip in mid-November, which several polls said was driven by discontent over his handling of the economy.
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The share of people who strongly approve of Trump has dropped over the course of the year, standing at 21% compared to 26% in April, NBC News reported. Slightly more people now say they strongly disapprove of Trump, at 44% compared with April's 42%.
Among the president's base, approval of his job performance has also taken a hit. While the NBC News poll found 7 in 10 MAGA supporters still say they “strongly approve” of the president’s job performance, the outlet reported fewer Republicans no longer claim to be part of the MAGA movement compared to earlier this year.
President Donald Trump attends a Mexican Border Defense Medal presentation in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., December 15, 2025.
Among those who are still MAGA, Trump's popularity is still high at 70%. But it is a drop of 8 points, from 78%, since April.
For Republicans at-large, support has also dropped. Among those polled who consider themselves more supporters of the Republican Party than the MAGA movement, the share of those who “strongly approve” of Trump now stands at 35%, compared with 38% in April.
The survey also reinforces what several major polls have concluded over the last few weeks: The economy is a top issue among voters, and Trump is on shaky ground when it comes to inflation and cost of living.
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Compared with a previous NBC News poll in August, both Republicans and MAGA supporters were a few percentage points more likely to say their personal finances are worse today compared to one year ago.
Overall, 64% of Americans think the country is on the wrong track, which is up from 60% at the beginning of the year. Republicans and MAGA members were 6 points more likely to say the country is on the wrong track than in August, NBC News said about the survey results.
Kathryn Palmer is a politics reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected] and on X @KathrynPlmr. Sign up for her daily politics newsletter here.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump approval rating down among MAGA base in new opinion poll
Source: “AOL General News”
