Opinion Today
June 17, 2025
Trump approval steady at 42%, support weakens for his immigration policy, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds Jason Lange, Reuters President Donald Trump's public approval rating held steady over the last month, but Americans are becoming less supportive of his approach to immigration as his administration cracks down, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed on Monday. The six-day poll showed 42% of U.S. adults approved of the job the Republican is doing as president, unchanged from a prior Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted May 16-18. His support on immigration, however, softened to 44% from 47% in mid-May.
Few want spending reductions on federal benefit programs AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research The public is generally supportive of increasing or upholding existing domestic spending by the federal government, but want less funding allocated to foreign aid.
Americans want Medicaid and food stamps funding maintained or increased, AP-NORC poll shows Linley Sanders, Associated Press As Republican senators consider President Donald Trump’s big bill that could slash federal spending and extend tax cuts, a new survey shows most U.S. adults don’t think the government is overspending on the programs the GOP has focused on cutting, like Medicaid and food stamps.
New poll: Trump and deportations unpopular, Dems up 8 in House vote G. Elliott Morris, Strength In Numbers Americans broadly disapprove of the job Donald Trump is doing as president and favor Democratic U.S. House candidates for the 2026 midterms by 8 points, a new Strength In Numbers/Verasight poll finds. The president is underwater on 10 out of 11 issues we tested with voters.
Americans overwhelmingly want Trump to obey court rulings, but MAGA Republicans are split Dylan Ebs, NBC News Eight in 10 respondents believe the Trump administration shouldn't ignore a federal court ruling the White House doesn't like, per the new NBC News Decision Desk Poll. RFK Jr.'s food agenda finds appeal across partisan lines, but vaccines are a different story Ben Kamisar and Erika Edwards, NBC News The new NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey found adults divided over the health secretary but with a bare majority viewing him favorably.
Trump’s approval ratings trend downward Eli Yokley & Cameron Easley, Morning Consult Following a few weeks of improved numbers, Trump’s approval ratings are once again trending downward. Our latest survey shows 46% approve and 52% disapprove of his job performance, similar to his standing throughout much of April and in early May, when his global trade war was inducing acute economic anxiety among Americans. Since the beginning of June, Trump’s net approval ratings on immigration and national security have been cut in half. Digital News Report 2025 Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism In most countries we find traditional news media struggling to connect with much of the public, with declining engagement, low trust, and stagnating digital subscriptions. An accelerating shift towards consumption via social media and video platforms is further diminishing the influence of ‘institutional journalism’ and supercharging a fragmented alternative media environment containing an array of podcasters, YouTubers, and TikTokers.
AI Use at Work Has Nearly Doubled in Two Years Ryan Pendell, Gallup The use of AI at work is accelerating. In the past two years, the percentage of U.S. employees who say they have used AI in their role a few times a year or more has nearly doubled, from 21% to 40%. Frequent AI use (a few times a week or more) has also nearly doubled, from 11% to 19% since Gallup’s first measure in 2023. Daily use has doubled in the past 12 months alone, from 4% to 8%.
47% of U.S. Adults Have a Personal or Family Connection to Catholicism Patricia Tevington and Gregory A. Smith, Pew Research Center Catholicism’s roots in the United States run deep. Nearly half of U.S. adults (47%) claim some connection to the Catholic faith.
New CfG Poll Finds Vast Majority of Republicans, Democrats, Support School Freedom Bills Club for Growth Club for Growth released a new poll showing broad support for federal school freedom legislation among Republicans (73%) and Democrats (73%). Voters Strongly Oppose So-Called “Conversion Therapy,” Think Supreme Court Should Allow State Bans Data for Progress According to The Trevor Project, conversion therapy is a term “used to encompass a wide range of efforts to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.” Leading medical and mental health organizations have discredited the practice. As a result, 23 states and Washington, D.C., have passed laws banning conversion therapy among minors. A new Data for Progress survey examined voters’ perceptions of these bans. Colorado: New Polling Finds Bennet with a Wide Lead in Dem Governor Primary Global Strategy Group / Bennet for Governor A new poll from Global Strategy Group finds that Senator Michael Bennet holds a commanding lead over state Attorney General Phil Weiser in the Democratic primary race to be the state’s next governor. Virginia: Statewides All Competitive, Issues Set Favors GOP Founders Insight Public Policy Research Fresh polling reveals Virginia’s statewide races are far tighter than political observers anticipated, with all three major contests effectively tied and significant voter movement still possible. Even in Diverse New Jersey, Residents Believe Discrimination Persists and Hurts Chances for Success – Especially for Black People Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling, Rutgers University-New Brunswick While a solid majority of New Jerseyans report frequent interaction with people of a different race or ethnicity, a notable number report far less contact. The findings are from a study conducted in early December on race relations and perceptions regarding race-related issues conducted by the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University-New Brunswick and the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, sponsored by The Fund for New Jersey. Polls show support for Trump’s deportations is declining Douglas E. Schoen (Schoen Cooperman Research), The Hill Immigration may be one of President Trump’s strongest issues, but recent polling data suggests that the administration’s tactics are facing growing opposition, potentially turning one of Trump’s strengths into a vulnerability. Put another way, as protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement efforts rage in Los Angeles and other cities, Americans increasingly disapprove of Trump’s response, even if they also do not support the civil unrest. Stating the obvious: Mass protests are not going to help Trump Philip Bump, Washington Post [unlocked] Republicans continue to stand by Trump, while the rest of the country is getting fed up.
Political Violence Is Rising. This Is What We Can Do to Stop It. Robert A. Pape (University of Chicago), New York Times [unlocked] Since 2021, the Chicago Project on Security and Threats, which I direct, has conducted national surveys on a quarterly basis on support for political violence among Americans. These surveys are telling because, as other research has shown, the more public support there is for political violence, the more common it is. Our May survey was the most worrisome yet. Trump Has Reawakened the Resistance Michelle Goldberg, New York Times [unlocked] Trump will keep trying to tear this increasingly fragile and beleaguered nation apart. But as Saturday showed, if and when he does so, he may not end up with the biggest piece. The Tyrant Test Adam Serwer, The Atlantic [unlocked] A leader who uses military force to suppress his political opposition ought to lose the right to govern. Imperial President at Home, Emperor Abroad Elizabeth N. Saunders (Columbia), Foreign Affairs American Foreign Policy in an Age of Unrestrained Executive Power Headline of the year: ‘He voted for Trump. Then [INSERT CATASTROPHE]’ Erik Wemple, Washington Post [unlocked] Tales of regretful Trump voters follow a failsafe formula. Democrats Must Get Uncomfortable to Win the Senate Nate Moore, The Liberal Patriot They need candidates that can win conservative states. A vibe shift in San Francisco — and its new centrist mayor Adam Lashinsky (The San Francisco Standard), Washington Post [unlocked] While Democrats may seem in retreat around the country, the new mayor of San Francisco, Daniel Lurie, is off to a promising start in a way that holds hope for others in his beleaguered party. Proposed Medicaid cuts could lead to thousands of deaths, study finds Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC News The proposed Medicaid cuts in the House Republicans’ sprawling domestic policy bill could cause an estimated 7.6 million Americans to lose health insurance, leading to thousands of preventable deaths, according to an analysis published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Trump accelerates push to reward loyalty in federal workforce Meryl Kornfield and Hannah Natanson, Washington Post [unlocked] Many critics say the administration is scrapping a nonpartisan, merit-based civil service in favor of a biased, politicized system. The worst thing Trump is doing to the economy isn’t tariffs Gene Sperling, Washington Post [unlocked] Fidelity to blind justice and institutional integrity made the U.S. economy exceptional. No more. Trump and the 2020 election: We’re witnessing the rewriting of history in the making Jessica Huseman, Votebeat False claims become part of the public school curriculum, while Jan. 6 crimes fade from the record.
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PLAYLIST
Digital News Report 2025. Episode 1: What you need to know. Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism What's happening with news media in 2025? Authors of our Digital News Report 2025 discuss the role of generative AI, trust in news, subscriptions, news avoidance, podcasts and more.
It’s Not Just Trump Voters. Both Parties Are in Denial. The Opinions In this episode, the editorial board director David Leonhardt talks to Arlie Russell Hochschild about why voters in Appalachia continue to support the president, despite the broken promises of Trump’s first term and looming cuts to social programs they depend on.
Cancelvania Is Becoming A Swing State GD POLITICS If you find the title of this episode confusing, the cold open should help clear things up. I believe it’s the longest cold open I’ve ever done for a podcast. Enjoy! On a more serious note, we’ve got an awful lot to talk about today. I had originally planned to open up the mailbag and answer listener questions (which we still do), but before we get to that, Nathaniel Rakich and I talk about some of the news since the last episode.
Americans say the economy matters more than immigration, hurting Trump's approval NBC News NBC News National Political Correspondent Steve Kornacki joins Meet the Press NOW to explain President Trump’s job approval in the newest NBC News Decision Desk poll.
Amy Walter and Leigh Ann Caldwell on the rise in political violence PBS NewsHour Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter and Leigh Ann Caldwell of Puck News join Amna Nawaz to discuss the latest political news, including a spate of worrying political violence in the U.S., President Trump’s domestic and international priorities and the upcoming battle on the budget.
