WASHINGTON — Concerns regarding day-to-day expenses played a significant role in securing President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House. However, as he prepares for his upcoming term, there is considerable skepticism among the American public about his capability to reduce costs.
According to a survey conducted by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, only about 20% of Americans express a high level of confidence in Trump’s ability to make strides in lowering grocery, housing, or healthcare expenses this year. Additionally, a similar percentage feels moderately confident in his potential to tackle these economic challenges.
When it comes to job creation, confidence is slightly higher, with around 30% of respondents expressing strong belief that Trump will deliver on this front in 2025. Despite his ambitious promises to reduce prices, a sizable portion of those who supported him remain uncertain about his capacity to swiftly alleviate the economic strains that many American families continue to encounter.
Nevertheless, these tempered expectations do not seem to dampen the enthusiasm among Republicans regarding Trump’s second term. Interestingly, the pessimism felt by Democrats regarding his return to office has softened compared to when he left the White House in 2020. The poll indicates that roughly 80% of Republicans believe Trump will be a “great” or “good” president during his next term.
In contrast, while a significant number of Democrats anticipate him being a “poor” or “terrible” president, their assessments are notably less severe than before; only about 80% classify him as a “terrible” president, as opposed to an even larger proportion who characterized him that way at the end of his first term.
Confidence in Trump’s overall handling of the economy is also surprisingly low, with only about one-third of Americans expressing high levels of confidence in his economic management. Nearly 20% of participants are moderately confident, while close to half feel either slightly confident or not confident at all. Among Republicans, the belief in Trump’s economic handling appears stronger, with about 70% expressing a high degree of confidence.
Moving on to various policy areas, the poll reveals that expectations for Trump are low in several key categories. For issues related to immigration and national security, only about one-third of Americans feel very confident in his approach. Around 20% are moderately confident, whereas the remaining half show slight or no confidence at all.
Healthcare remains a particularly weak area for Trump as public skepticism regarding his ability to address rising health costs is pronounced. Merely 20% of Americans have strong confidence in his capacity to manage healthcare issues, with only 16% believing he can effectively reduce healthcare expenses. Trump had previously indicated a desire to explore alternatives to the Affordable Care Act, but he has yet to present a clear plan on how he intends to modify this legislation. His first term saw substantial efforts to dismantle the ACA, but those initiatives were ultimately unsuccessful.
Additionally, only about half of Republican respondents convey high confidence in Trump’s ability to manage healthcare, with around one-third optimistic about his potential to lower healthcare costs.
Despite these challenges, the perception of Trump’s overall favorability has remained largely unchanged even amidst various controversies, including indictments and a criminal conviction. The latest survey aligns with Americans’ expectations of his second term, mirroring their evaluation of his past four years in office. Approximately 50% of U.S. adults project that Trump will perform poorly as president in his upcoming term, a statistic that has seen little modification since he vacated the White House in 2021.
Republicans are slightly more optimistic this time around; about half believe Trump will be a “great” president in his next term, an increase from the 40% who felt similarly at the conclusion of his initial term. Conversely, while Democrats remain largely anticipating a disappointing presidency from Trump, their fears are somewhat less intense now, with roughly 60% expecting a “terrible” presidency compared to the previous three-quarters who expressed that sentiment at the end of his first term.
The poll conducted by AP-NORC involved 1,147 adults from January 9-13 and utilized a sample that aims to represent the broader U.S. population. The margin of error for the overall results stands at plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.
