Trump gets thumbs down in polls as he marks first 100 days
NEW YORK – President Donald Trump is getting a big thumbs down from Americans in polls on some of his controversial key proposals as he marks 100 days back in the White House.
Outsized majorities of Americans told a new ABC News/Washington Post survey released Tuesday that they do not support Trump’s controversial plans to annex Canada and Greenland or to attempt a run for a third term in the White House in 2028.
A whopping 86% of those surveyed oppose the United States trying to take control of Canada, which Trump has repeatedly vowed will become the 51st state.
A somewhat smaller total of 76% oppose gobbling up Greenland, the vast, mineral-rich Arctic island that is a self-governing territory of Denmark.
Support for the annexations are mostly limited to Republicans, with nearly half of self-identified GOP voters backing taking over Greenland. Only a tiny 3% of Democrats and 20% of independents agree.
When it comes to Canada, just 27% of Republicans want the north-of-the-border neighbor to become the 51st state, compared to 9% of independents and 4% of Democrats.
Interestingly, Democrats and independents are far more likely to take Trump seriously about the annexation plans, with a large majority of Republicans saying he’s not serious about the Canada plan.
The vast majority of Americans also oppose the idea Trump has floated of seeking a third term, which is barred by the constitution’s 22nd Amendment.
Some 80% of those surveyed oppose Trump serving a third term, although 38% of Republicans back the idea, the poll says. Just 3% of Democrats agree that Trump should serve a third term.
Americans are also unhappy with his proposal to send convicted criminals who are U.S. citizens to serve prison terms in foreign countries, with 66% opposing the idea.
It does get traction among Republicans, with 57% in support.Trump floated the idea after deporting hundreds of undocumented immigrants to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador.
The ABC/Washington Post poll results emerged as a raft of surveys timed to the 100-day mark show only about 4 in 10 Americans approve of how Trump is handling the presidency, and his ratings on the economy and trade are lower than that.
A 59% majority of the public now says Trump’s policies have made the economy worse, according to a CNN poll released Tuesday. That figure is up from 51% in March and similar to the worst numbers posted by former President Joe Biden saw during his unpopular presidency.
Overall, 69% of those polled say the American economy is likely to slip into recession in the coming year, with a third saying a downturn is “very likely.”
Just 34% of Americans call themselves enthusiastic or optimistic about the economy. About 29% say they’re pessimistic, while 37% admit they’re downright afraid.
The abysmal polling results are historically bad for a president who should still be basking in a popular honeymoon period. Even Biden was coasting with the support of nearly 60% of Americans four years ago in the spring of his first year in the White House.
Despite the grim political news, Trump is framing his first 100 days as a historic success worth celebrating.
He spent most of the morning reposting testimonials from supporters proclaiming his policies as ushering in a “Golden Age” of American economic growth and prosperity
The president was poised to head to a working-class town near Detroit in the battleground state of Michigan where he planned to rally the MAGA faithful Tuesday evening.