The AP-NORC poll also shows how voters weigh Trump’s portfolio as the conflict with Iran continues and higher gasoline prices feed domestic frustration. Conducted May 14-18 of 1,117 adults using NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak panel, the survey finds Republicans remain largely behind Trump on key foreign-policy stakes even while their economic approval softens.
In the poll, about 6 in 10 Republicans approve of how Trump is handling the economy, a decline from about 8 in 10 in February—before the war with Iran began. The economy remains a struggle for Trump in public opinion beyond his base, with about one-third of U.S. adults approving his economic performance, according to the survey. The article’s results also indicate this measure remains close to a late-April AP-NORC poll, though Trump’s second-term economic approval has fallen among Republicans in particular.
Republicans’ economic support appears under strain as day-to-day costs rise during the Iran war. Ariel Gutierrez, a 55-year-old Republican in Wisconsin, described helping his teenage child pay for gasoline amid spiking prices, saying the “whole Iran issue has just exacerbated it.” Gutierrez, according to the poll, suggested the increase in costs is affecting the way people plan trips and leisure spending, and said he believes the policies behind the cost pressures are coming from Trump rather than his predecessors.
The poll results also reflect a divide on whether higher costs are tolerable given the war. Richard Baumgartner, a 77-year-old Republican in Las Vegas, told pollsters that the economy is “a little bit off kilter” because of the war but that he expects “Temporary price increases” to be resolved later when the situation in the Middle East improves. Baumgartner framed the economic friction as something that must be confronted during a period he described as a serious problem.
At the same time, the poll finds signs that Trump’s immigration enforcement messaging is still resonating more with Republicans than his economic record. While immigration was an early strength for him in his second term, the survey notes approval dipped at one point in January and February after months of aggressive immigration enforcement, including incidents that involved the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. Now, the AP-NORC poll says just under half of U.S. adults—45%—approve of how Trump is handling immigration.
Independents and Republicans also appear to view immigration enforcement through different lenses. Brenda Theiss, an independent from Cullman, Alabama, said she doesn’t like everything Trump is doing but credited him with disrupting the status quo on reducing the flow of immigrants in the country illegally, comparing Trump to past presidents she said did not take action. Theiss told pollsters she gives Trump credit for “closing the border” and contrasted that with her view that Biden did not do so.
Outside the GOP, Trump remains unpopular on foreign policy and the Iran war. Only about one-third of U.S. adults approve of how Trump is handling the conflict, though roughly two-thirds of Republicans approve. The survey also found that younger Republicans are more likely than older Republicans to disapprove of Trump’s Iran-handling performance, a contrast that underscores generational variation inside the party.
The poll found similar levels of approval for Trump’s broader foreign-policy approach, with about one-third of Americans approving and roughly two-thirds of Americans disapproving. It also indicated Americans’ views of his overall foreign-policy handling have not shifted significantly in recent months despite Trump’s more aggressive international focus described in the report, including actions and threats mentioned by the AP.
For some voters, the Iran war is a rare issue where Trump lacks support. Amanda Wylie, a 22-year-old who lives in Athens, Georgia, told pollsters that she viewed U.S. involvement as wasting resources for Americans’ benefit, while adding that she understands Iran’s nuclear ambitions but questioned the cost. Her views reflect a broader pattern in the poll: while Republican approval remains comparatively higher on Iran than on other issues, Trump’s overall approval is lower with the general electorate.
Beyond the specific issue questions, the AP-NORC poll found Trump’s overall approval rating at 37%, up slightly from 33% in April, and nearly all Democrats disapprove. The poll also found about 7 in 10 independents disapprove of his performance as president. Together, the results show a consistent picture: Trump’s strongest support among Republicans persists even as economic frustration rises—an arrangement that continues to define the political stakes of the Iran war at home.