Mr. Trump, 60% of Americans Say You're Off Track

Introduction: a letter to a president looking the other way

A poll that lands hard in the middle of election summer

Mr. President, an Economist/YouGovpoll published on June 30, 2026, conducted June 26–29 among 1,606 American adults with a margin of error of 3.2%, finds that 60% of Americans believe you are not focused on the country's most important problems. Only 29% think your priorities are the right ones, and 11% remain undecided, according to figures reported by USA Today.

This figure is not an isolated statistical accident: it fits into a broader trend where only 28% of Americans believe the country is heading in the right direction, against 61% who judge the national trajectory to be bad, an imbalance that should alarm your administration at the midterm mark.

These figures, published as your administration enters the second year of your second term, come amid a political climate where every percentage point matters to Republican Party strategists already preparing for the midterm elections.

A particularly tense midterm context

This poll arrives at a pivotal moment in your second term, as the midterm elections approach and your majority in Congress remains fragile on several budget matters. The current political climate amplifies every negative signal coming from public opinion.

Polling institutes, despite your administration's repeated criticism of them, continue to produce methodologically rigorous data that deserve to be taken seriously rather than dismissed as mere partisan attacks.

Inflation, Americans' number-one obsession that you're neglecting

Thirty percent of respondents cite prices as their absolute top priority

Mr. President, according to that same Economist/YouGov poll, 30% of Americans identify inflation and rising prices as the number-one priority your administration should address, far ahead of the 15% who cite jobs and the general economy, and the 9% who mention health care.

This ranking of public priorities contrasts sharply with your administration's media agenda, often dominated by political, judicial, and institutional battles that, in the eyes of a majority of Americans, seem far removed from the everyday concerns of families struggling to pay their grocery bills.

A gap between the official narrative and lived experience

Your administration regularly highlights positive macroeconomic indicators, but that narrative struggles to convince households facing grocery, housing, and energy bills that continue to rise faster than their wages, according to several independent economic analyses.

This disconnect between official statistics and lived experience feeds growing distrust of the economic figures presented by your administration, a distrust that shows up directly in this poll on your priorities.

An approval rating that stays firmly underwater

A disapproval rate that far outpaces approval

Mr. President, the average of aggregated polls in July 2026, including Gallup, Reuters/Ipsos, YouGov, Quinnipiac, Morning Consult, and Nate Silver's Silver Bulletin, puts your approval rate at around 39.2 to 39.4%, against a disapproval rate ranging between 57.5 and 57.7%, a net gap of roughly -18 points.

This aggregated average, calculated from multiple independent polling institutes according to data compiled by Wikipedia and the Silver Bulletin, confirms a stable and persistent trend rather than a one-off blip tied to a single news event.

A trend confirmed by several independent institutes

This is not one isolated institute producing an outlier result: the convergence of Gallup, Reuters/Ipsos, and Quinnipiac toward similar figures considerably strengthens the statistical credibility of this persistent negative trend.

This methodological convergence makes it difficult to dismiss these results by attributing them to a particular bias of any single polling institute, a reality your administration will sooner or later have to accept publicly.

Health, education, and the environment, your acknowledged weak spots

Majority disapproval on several key domestic issues

Mr. President, more than half of Americans surveyed disapprove of your handling of health care, education, abortion, and the environment, four areas that directly touch the daily lives of American families and where your administration appears to have lost public trust in a particularly marked way.

These figures reflect a growing gap between your public communication, often focused on symbolic victories or spectacular political confrontations, and the concrete concerns of American citizens about access to care and the quality of public education.

American families at the heart of this dissatisfaction

Middle-class American families, particularly hard hit by rising health care costs and by persistent uncertainty over the future of the public education system, express growing frustration that shows up directly in the results of this poll.

This popular frustration is not limited to voters traditionally opposed to your administration, but also touches part of your own electoral base, which makes this political signal all the more significant.

The Senate and the DOJ, two fronts feeding public distrust

Suspicions of politicized justice weigh heavily

Mr. President, beyond the economic figures, your administration continues to face persistent accusations of politicizing the Department of Justice, notably through the controversial handling of the Epstein file by acting attorney general Todd Blanche, a case that fuels suspicions of protection for powerful figures.

These institutional tensions, combined with persistent gridlock in the Senate on several priority legislative matters, help shape the image of an administration more preoccupied with its own internal battles than with solving the concrete problems of ordinary Americans.

The Epstein file, a symbol of persistent opacity

The controversial handling of the Epstein file by the Department of Justice continues to fuel suspicions of a two-tiered justice system, in which certain powerful figures enjoy protections unavailable to ordinary citizens, a sentiment that directly feeds the institutional distrust measured in this poll.

This perception of opacity, whether justified or exaggerated, adds to the growing gap between your administration and a public opinion that demands greater transparency on sensitive judicial matters.

Conflicts of interest that tarnish your credibility

A pile-up of issues fueling public cynicism

Mr. President, the multiple controversies surrounding potential conflicts of interest within your administration and your family and business circle continue to fuel a climate of widespread mistrust toward your institutions, reinforcing the sense that part of your governance serves private interests rather than the public good.

This accumulation of controversies, documented by several independent American media outlets, directly contributes to that figure of 60% of Americans who believe you are neglecting the country's real priorities in favor of political and personal battles that matter less to the average citizen.

Legitimate questions about the separation of interests

Several American investigative journalists continue to document situations where the business interests of your inner circle appear to intersect with your administration's policy decisions, a situation that fuels a climate of widespread suspicion.

This suspicion, documented by serious journalistic investigations, directly contributes to the sense that your administration prioritizes private interests over the collective interest of the ordinary Americans who elected you.

The internal divisions within your own political camp

A Republican Party showing signs of fracture

Mr. President, several Republican lawmakers, including some of your own long-standing allies, have begun publicly voicing reservations about the direction your administration has taken on domestic economic issues, a crack that could widen as the next midterm elections approach.

This internal dissent, though still limited in scale, illustrates an unavoidable political reality: even your most loyal supporters are beginning to worry about the growing gap between your media agenda and the concrete expectations of the traditional Republican electorate on economic issues.

Republican primaries that could get tougher

Some Republican strategists are already raising the possibility of more contested primaries than expected in several districts, as local candidates seek to distance themselves from certain aspects of your domestic record to preserve their own electoral chances.

This internal dynamic within the Republican Party illustrates just how far the question of presidential popularity now extends beyond your own potential re-election, affecting the party's entire electoral strategy.

What Americans actually expect from your administration

Concrete economic priorities rather than symbolic fights

Mr. President, the Americans surveyed express a clear and measurable wish: to see your administration focus more on lowering the cost of living, creating stable jobs, and improving access to health care, rather than on institutional confrontations that often dominate the national political news cycle.

This public expectation, expressed consistently across several independent polls conducted in recent months, represents a political opportunity your administration could seize by clearly redirecting its communication and legislative agenda toward these priorities identified by the electorate.

A call for concrete measures rather than announcements

The Americans surveyed are not necessarily calling for major political revolutions, but for concrete and measurable action on the cost of living, as documented by the qualitative research accompanying several recent polls on national economic priorities.

This demand for economic pragmatism, rather than grand speeches, represents a relatively simple opportunity for your administration to seize if it chooses to refocus its communication on tangible results.

Comparisons with previous presidential terms

A disapproval level comparable to other difficult presidencies

Mr. President, your current level of disapproval, while concerning, is not without historical precedent: several American presidents have experienced similar popularity slumps at comparable points in their terms, before achieving significant recoveries through adjustments to public policy and communication.

This historical perspective, documented by analysts at the Silver Bulletin and other poll aggregators, suggests that nothing is irreversible, provided your administration takes seriously the signals sent by this majority of Americans dissatisfied with your current priorities.

The precedents of Reagan and Obama at the midterm point

PresidentsRonald Reagan and Barack Obama both experienced popularity slumps comparable to similar moments in their presidencies, before achieving significant recoveries through adjustments to economic policy and public communication.

These historical precedents, while guaranteeing no automatic outcome, suggest that a recovery remains politically possible if the lessons of these polls are seriously integrated into your administration's strategy.

The media's role in shaping perceptions of your administration

Coverage that amplifies certain issues more than others

Mr. President, it would be unfair to deny that some media outlets deliberately amplify certain controversial aspects of your administration at the expense of more balanced coverage of your economic or diplomatic achievements, a media imbalance your supporters regularly and legitimately denounce.

However, this media reality does not fully explain a figure as robust as this 60% of Americans dissatisfied with your priorities, a poll conducted with rigorous methodology that cannot be reduced to a simple matter of anti-Trump media bias.

The responsibility of presidential communication itself

Beyond media coverage, your own direct communication, particularly on social media, sometimes helps divert public attention away from priority economic issues toward secondary controversies that fuel polarization more than they resolve concrete problems.

This communication dynamic, which you otherwise usually wield effectively on other topics, seems paradoxically to work against you on the economic issues that most concern your fellow citizens.

The geopolitical issues you're handling with greater firmness

A military posture praised despite domestic criticism

Mr. President, in fairness, it should be acknowledged that your handling of defense and NATO matters continues to draw more solid support than your domestic record, particularly regarding your displayed firmness toward adversaries such as Iran, China, and Russia.

This gap between your popularity on international issues and your unpopularity on domestic matters perfectly illustrates the complexity of your presidency: a necessary evil for the West on the geopolitical stage, but a growing source of friction on the country's domestic management.

Recognition that does not erase economic expectations

This recognition of your firmness on defense matters must not, however, serve as an excuse to ignore the pressing economic expectations expressed by a majority of Americans in this poll, two registers of governance that must be judged by distinct standards.

Americans are capable, as other opinion studies show, of praising your international firmness while simultaneously demanding better management of the domestic economic issues that directly affect their daily lives.

The concrete recommendations this poll suggests

A necessary refocus on everyday economics

Mr. President, this poll clearly suggests that refocusing your communication and legislative agenda on concrete economic issues, particularly the fight against inflation and support for jobs, could significantly improve your approval rating among an electorate that seems ready to give you a second chance on these priority issues.

This strategic reorientation would, however, require increased transparency on the judicial matters and conflicts of interest that continue to weigh on your administration's overall credibility with a significant portion of American public opinion.

Concrete legislative measures to consider quickly

Several concrete legislative proposals on lowering drug costs, supporting affordable housing, and targeted tax relief for the middle class could serve as tangible first steps in directly addressing the concerns expressed in this poll.

This pragmatic, measurable approach would be more effective, according to several political communication experts, than a mere public relations campaign aimed at improving perception without concrete policy change.

What this letter hopes to spark in reflection

A call for listening rather than confrontation

Mr. President, this open letter does not aim to gratuitously disparage you, but to remind you, with figures to back it up, that 60% of your fellow citizens believe you are neglecting their real priorities, a finding that deserves a serious political response rather than a blanket dismissal of the polling institutes that document it.

This reflection, if taken seriously by your administration, could serve as the starting point for a durable recovery in popularity, provided concrete actions follow the stated intentions on the country's economic priorities.

The perceived inaction on the housing crisis

An issue absent from the visible presidential agenda

Mr. President, the persistent crisis of affordable housing access in several major American cities remains largely absent from your recent public communication, a silence noticed by voters in urban and suburban areas hit hardest by soaring rents.

This absence of visible leadership on the housing issue contributes, according to several political analysts, to the general sense that your administration is neglecting major structural challenges in favor of priorities deemed secondary by a majority of American citizens.

Solutions exist, they just need to be prioritized

Several bipartisan proposals to encourage the construction of affordable housing remain stalled in Congress, for lack of strong political backing from the White House, a situation that could nonetheless offer your administration a concrete and popular legislative win.

This relative inaction on such a consensual issue illustrates, once again, the disconnect between the concrete expectations of Americans and the dominant media agenda of your current presidency.

Conclusion: the verdict of the numbers doesn't lie

A clear majority demanding a change of course

Mr. President, this Economist/YouGov poll and the full set of aggregated data on your popularity converge on the same finding: a majority of Americans believe you are neglecting the economic and social priorities that truly matter to them, in favor of political and institutional battles they consider less urgent.

An opportunity to seize before it's too late

You still have time, Mr. President, to adjust your course before the next elections, but that time shrinks every month the gap between your agenda and public expectations continues to widen, according to the consistent data from independent polling institutes.

By Maxime Marquette, columnist

Columnist's transparency note

Who I am and my acknowledged biases

I am neither a political scientist nor a political adviser. I am a columnist who, for this series, adopts a deliberately critical angle on the Trump administration's domestic management, while acknowledging its firmness on defense and NATO matters. My acknowledged bias: I believe Trump remains a necessary evil for the West geopolitically, but that his domestic excesses deserve to be called out without indulgence.

What I don't know and my method

I cannot predict whether this unpopularity will translate into concrete electoral losses in upcoming contests. My method: I rely on data from the Economist/YouGov poll, on aggregators such as the Silver Bulletin and Wikipedia, while explicitly flagging the methodological limits of each measurement tool cited.

Sources

Primary sources

New Trump poll: 60% say president not focused on top issues, USA Today — July 1, 2026

Opinion polling on the second Trump presidency, aggregator — July 2, 2026

Secondary sources

Majority of Americans say Trump isn't focused on key problems, Newsweek — July 2026

Trump approval polling data — July 2026

Trump approval ratings, Nate Silver Bulletin — July 2026

American political news, Reuters — July 2026