Trump polls higher than his policies, new survey finds

(CN) — President Donald Trump’s approval rating has remained largely the same despite voters disapproving of his policies, a recent survey shows.

A poll of 1,000 registered voters conducted over the weekend by the nonpartisan Emerson College Polling Center found that 48% say they approve of the job Trump is doing, a one-point decrease from January, while 42% disapprove. Meanwhile, the same poll found that voters disapprove of many of Trump’s policy proposals, like eliminating USAID and the Department of Education and taking over Gaza, Canada and Greenland.

“The poll findings suggest generally unpopular domestic and foreign policy ideas, however, Trump’s approval has not shifted significantly since last month,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said in a statement.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the survey.

Forty-four percent of surveyed voters said they opposed eliminating USAID, while 36% supported its elimination. The numbers were even starker for the Department of Education, with 30% supporting its elimination and 58% opposing.

Voters also strongly opposed Trump’s proposals to take over various foreign territories. Fifty-eight percent opposed the U.S. taking over Gaza, while just 18 percent supported it, and voters opposed adding Canada as a state 55% to 26% and adding Greenland as a U.S. territory 44% to 30%.

Support for many of Trump’s policies was split along party lines.

“Support for eliminating the Department of Education is found among Republicans, at 53%, while Democrats and independents strongly oppose it at 82% and 59%,” Kimball said. “Eliminating USAID is popular among Republicans, at 62% support, but less popular among Democrats and independent voters, at 68% and 45% opposition.”

Both Republicans and Democrats opposed taking over Gaza, but opposition among Democrats, 74%, was significantly higher than for Republicans at 45%. Meanwhile, 41% of Republicans supported adding Canada as a state, and 53% supported adding Greenland as a U.S. territory. A majority of Democrats opposed both proposals.

The survey also measured voters’ approval of Elon Musk’s work at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — 41% approved and 45% disapproved — and how they think tariffs impact the U.S. job market. Thirty-nine percent of voters said they thought tariffs create American jobs, another 39% thought they eliminate jobs, and 22% thought they have no impact on jobs.