An analysis by Newsweek magazine of Reuters/Ipsos polling data has revealed a clear decline in the level of strong support for U.S. President Donald Trump among Republican voters, despite the continued backing of an overwhelming majority of them for his performance.
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The latest poll, conducted from August 21 to 24, showed that the share of Republicans who strongly approve of Trump’s job performance fell to 35%, compared with 49% in January, a decline of 14 percentage points.
Meanwhile, the share of Republicans who somewhat approve of the president’s performance rose from 37% in January to 47% in August, suggesting that some members of Trump’s base have shifted from strong support to a less enthusiastic level of approval.
Continued Republican Support
Despite the decline in the intensity of support, Trump has not experienced a collapse in his Republican base. The share of Republicans who approve of his performance—either strongly or somewhat—stood at 82% in August, compared with 85% in January.
The figures point to a shift in the nature of the support rather than a broad decline in it. In January, strong supporters outnumbered those who somewhat approved by 12 percentage points. By August, the balance had reversed, with somewhat supportive Republicans outnumbering strong supporters by 12 points. This represents a 24-point shift in the gap between the two groups over seven months.
The decline was not consistent throughout the period. Strong approval rose to 43% in May, remained at 40% in June, fell to 34% in July, and edged up by just one point to 35% in August, an increase within the poll’s margin of error.
Broader Decline
Polling results indicate that the decline in support extends beyond Republicans. Among all U.S. adults, the share who strongly approve of Trump fell from 19% in January to 13% in August.
Overall approval also declined from 38% to 33%, while disapproval rose from 59% to 65%. As a result, Trump’s net approval rating—the difference between approval and disapproval—fell from -21 points to -32 points.
Declining Enthusiasm
The decline in strong approval carries political significance given Trump’s historic reliance on a highly committed Republican base, whose enthusiasm has played an influential role in primary elections and in pressuring Republican officials to support his agenda.
With the November midterm elections approaching, the data suggest that some Republicans continue to support Trump but with less enthusiasm than before.
However, a shift from “strongly approve” to “somewhat approve” does not necessarily mean that voters have turned against Trump. They may still vote for him or Republican candidates. In addition, the margin of error is larger when analyzing Republicans alone.
White House Response
The White House, meanwhile, defended Trump’s performance, saying his administration is making progress on jobs, inflation and housing affordability.
White House spokesman Davis Engel told Newsweek that “Trump is working tirelessly to create jobs, lower inflation and increase housing affordability,” adding that, according to the administration, the president has made historic progress both domestically and internationally and that his agenda is still in its early stages of implementation.
