President Donald Trump’s handling of immigration has fallen to its weakest position in an Economist/YouGov tracker, a striking reversal on the issue that powered his return to the White House.
Trump’s immigration approval fell to 40 percent in August, while 53 percent disapproved, leaving him 13 points underwater among U.S. adult citizens.
The latest result matches the previous all-time low net approval rating (those who approve minus those who disapprove) recorded in May, but its raw 40 percent approval figure is a record low in the series.
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Immigration has generally remained his strongest policy area, making the decline a warning sign for Republicans approaching the midterm elections.
Candidates defending the administration’s border and deportation policies may face voters who favor enforcement but object to parts of Trump’s approach.
Key PointsTrump’s net immigration rating has dropped 24 points since February 2025, moving from plus 11 to minus 13 in the Economist/YouGov series. Other surveys still identify immigration or border security as Trump’s best issue, although they also show support weakening. AP-NORC reported in August that 39 percent of adults approved of his immigration performance, down from 49 percent near the beginning of his second term.
Why It Matters
Trump’s political rise was built partly on frustration over illegal immigration and the belief that Washington had lost control of the southern border.
The latest numbers suggest voters may distinguish between wanting stricter enforcement and approving of how that enforcement is carried out.
Trump’s Immigration Rating Has Reversed
The newest Economist/YouGov poll that measured this issue found 40 percent approving of Trump’s handling of immigration and 53 percent disapproving.
Conducted from August 7 to 10, 2026, the survey included 1,589 U.S. adult citizens and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points after weighting.
YouGov said respondents came from its opt-in panel and the sample was weighted across demographic, geographic, partisan and voting measures.
That minus 13 net rating represents a substantial change from February 2 to 4, 2025, when 51 percent approved and 40 percent disapproved.
The deterioration was not linear. Net approval stood at minus one in April 2025, reached parity in May, and then remained negative through the rest of the series.
It registered minus eight at the turn of February 2026 before reaching minus 13 in both May and August.
Although Trump’s net approval on immigration in the August poll matched its all-time low of minus 13, his 40 percent approval rating was the lowest recorded in the tracker.
Immigration Remains A Relative Strength
Low approval does not necessarily mean immigration has stopped being Trump’s strongest issue. It means voters may rate him poorly while judging his performance less harshly than they do on the economy, foreign policy or other subjects.
AP-NORC called immigration Trump’s strongest issue in May, when 45 percent approved of his handling of it.
Its December 2025 poll found border security was his best-rated issue, with 50 percent approval even as his broader immigration score declined.
The distinction between border security and immigration policy is important.
A voter can support tighter control at the border while opposing deportation tactics, restrictions on legal immigration or the deployment of federal agents into cities.
Enforcement Has Changed The Political Equation
Trump has pursued a broad enforcement program while reviving construction along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Customs and Border Protection said that, as of August 5, 53.2 miles of new primary “Smart Wall” and 42 miles of secondary wall had been completed since January 20, 2025, with hundreds of additional miles awarded or under construction.
Yet the scale of the challenge remains considerable. The Migration Policy Institute estimated that 15.8 million unauthorized immigrants were living in the United States in mid-2024, with as many as 40 percent holding some form of temporary protection or pending status.
That estimate describes the population before the effects of Trump’s current enforcement campaign could be fully measured.
Those facts help explain the political tension. Supporters can point to an administration acting aggressively on a signature promise, while critics can argue that its methods have exceeded what many voters wanted.
Voters Appear To Want A Middle Course
Polling indicates that dissatisfaction is focused partly on implementation rather than a wholesale rejection of enforcement.
AP-NORC found in August that 55 percent believed Trump had gone too far by sending federal immigration agents into U.S. cities. Twenty-nine percent approved of how ICE was enforcing immigration laws, while 49 percent disapproved.
The AP-NORC poll was conducted from July 23 to 27, 2026, among 1,165 U.S. adults using NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel. Interviews were carried out online and by telephone, and the overall margin of error was plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.
Earlier NPR/PBS News/Marist polling found 65 percent saying ICE’s actions had gone too far, including 27 percent of Republicans.
The NPR/PBS News/Marist poll was conducted from January 27 to 30, 2026, among 1,462 U.S. adults contacted by telephone, text or online. The results had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.
Together, the results point to a narrower public mandate than either party often presents: control illegal immigration, maintain legal routes and enforce the law without tactics voters regard as excessive.
For Trump, the political risk is not that immigration has suddenly become irrelevant. It is that a signature strength is no longer providing the protection it once did.
What The White House Said
The Trump administration has responded to unfavorable polling by pointing to Trump’s wider economic and policy record.
“No other president in history has accomplished more for the American people than President Trump, who is working tirelessly to create jobs, cool inflation, increase housing affordability, and more,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told Newsweek in an emailed statement.
“The President has already made historic progress not only in America but around the world, and this is just the beginning as his agenda continues taking effect.”