The honeymoon era of the second Trump term has ended. An NBC News poll reports that Trump has a 47% approval rating, the lowest rating of any president at this point from 1993-present, despite tying the highest approval rating he has ever received. While there’s a 55% approval of his handling of the border and immigration, in policy areas such as foreign relations and the economy the consensus is general disapproval, with the economy polling of majority disapproval being an all-time low for Trump.  

Building on policies implemented by Biden near the end of his term, Trump has clamped down on the border. Halting asylum indefinitely in the United States, sending the military to the border, and publicizing deportations have all led to border crossing from Mexico to the US is at its lowest level in decades. This has terrified many who are seeking asylum in the US. 

Immigrants in the US are also terrified by the sudden crackdown by the Trump administration. Many people, with or without a green card, are at risk of being deported, like Mahmoud Khalil. If they are deported, they are put in danger of being sent to an area that’s potentially dangerous or being held in a location waiting to be sent away, similar to the thousands of deported immigrants trapped in a hotel in Panama with limited food and water. 

The executive order that terminated birthright citizenship has been blocked by multiple federal judges, but cases are arriving in the conservative-leaning Supreme Court where the ruling by the lower courts to block the executive order can be reversed. 

Diplomatic relations with US allies have become strained over the past few months. The United States has begun to distance itself from NATO and Europe, claiming that they weren't doing enough to aid Ukraine and were leaching off of the US, and has threatened to cancel all aid to Ukraine. Such an event would be devastating for Ukraine, as the United States provides about 45% of all aid to Ukraine, and would open the door for Putin to gain more control over Europe. 

There was hope that relations could be mended. Both French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited Trump in the White House before Ukrainian President Zelenskyy was supposed to visit. Despite the feeling that Macron and Starmer had that they managed to mend relations, Trump’s meeting with Zelenskyy went poorly. Insults were hurled at Zelensky from Trump, Vice President Vance, and others in Trump’s cabinet. There was an economic deal between Ukraine and the US set to be signed after the meeting that was scrapped in the fallout. 

The 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, the United States' top trading partners, have soured the economic ties between the neighboring countries. Citizens of both Canada and Mexico have responded with anger over the hostility from Trump, captured by the booing of the US anthem at hockey and basketball games held in Canada. The Conservative Party of Canada lost support over their political alignment with Trump and will be expected to perform poorly in the upcoming Canadian election.  

Trump’s aggressive placing of tariffs not just on Canada and Mexico, but other major exporters like China have led to increased prices back in the United States. The Consumer Price Index rose by .2%, and inflation has risen by 2.8%. Food prices have increased by 9.9%, much of that attributed to the skyrocketing of egg prices due to the avian flu. House prices went up by 3.1% in February. These undesired economic outcomes, unlike what Trump had promised during his campaign, have led to his lowest economic approval rating ever. 

While many in the Democratic Party look at the series of unpopular decisions under Republican leadership as a springboard to try and make a comeback in the 2026 midterms, the Democrats face a 27% approval rating for their party. With Chuck Schumer and nine other Senate Democrats siding with the Republicans to pass a budget bill to avoid a government shutdown, many now believe that the Democrats have lost the will to fight the growing authoritarian tendencies of the Republicans, which begs the question: what will they do to fight Trump, will they take advantage of his current unpopularity in the economic realm?