Few factors have loomed over American politics for the past decade like President Donald Trump’s sway over his base.
Lacking in broad popularity, the conventional wisdom has long been that Trump commands such intense devotion from a large swath of his base that it renders him a powerful force.
There is increasing reason to believe this conventional wisdom no longer applies.
A new Washington Post-Ipsos poll is merely the latest data point suggesting Trump’s devoted base has not only shrunk significantly, but is now historically pretty small.
The Post-Ipsos poll shows just 15% of Americans said they strongly approved of Trump — a number that translates to fewer than 1 in every 6 people. That’s a record low in the poll’s history.
For context, past Post and Post-ABC polls indicated that after his inauguration and in February 2025, 27% of Americans strongly approved of Trump. And in the days after the divisive January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, that number was also 27%.
Other notable points from the new poll:
For the first time in the pollster’s data, significantly more of his supporters approved of him only “somewhat” (22%) rather than “strongly” (15%).
Just 41% of Republicans and 43% of 2024 Trump voters approved of him strongly.
And just 6% of independents approved of him strongly — compared to 51% who disapproved strongly.
Even among what is supposed to be Trump’s most important demographic — White voters who didn’t graduate from college — just 24% strongly approved of him.
The poll is not some fluke. In fact, it’s at least the fourth high-quality recent poll to show the percentage who strongly approve of Trump falling into the mid-teens.
It's impossible to believe any of his lies when he tells you the economy is the best it's ever been and then you look at your monthly utility bills and go to the grocery store with less money than you've ever had before. And God Help you if you have to stop at a gas station along the way because that means you'll be putting items back on the shelf or leaving them at the cash register......
www.leavingmaga.org for the juice you need to revitalize your critical thinking skills