Trump faces 71% untrustworthy rating

The real story here is not that Donald Trump suddenly got hit with a fresh, clean “71% untrustworthy” finding. Turns out that number is shaky. What is real is broader and, politically, probably more important: Trump’s standing with the public has clearly worsened this spring, and it’s showing up across approval, favorability, and personal-trait polling. ### Where did the 71% number come from? The cleanest recent national data does not show 71% of all Americans calling Trump untrustworthy. The number seems to come from older or misread polling — especially a 2025 Economist/YouGov question where 31% said Trump was “honest and trustworthy,” which implies a much larger skeptical bloc, but not a neat current 71% headline. Another 71% figure from polling refers to Republicans wanting party leaders to follow Trump’s direction, which is a totally different question. (pewresearch.org) ### So what do current polls actually say? They say Trump is underwater almost everywhere that matters. Pew’s survey of 5,103 adults, conducted April 20-26 and published May 1, put his job approval at 34%, the lowest of his second term. Marist, in a poll published May 6, had him at 37% approval and 59% disapproval. RealClearPolling’s favorability average through May 5 showed 41.3% favorable and 55.3% unfavorable. Different pollsters, different wording — but the direction is the same. (newsweek.com) ### What’s slipping besides approval? A lot of the damage is about character and competence, not just policy. Pew found Trump losing ground on several personal traits. The share saying he “keeps his promises” fell to 38%, down from 43% last August and 51% just after the 2024 election. Confidence in his handling of immigration dropped to 41%, and confidence in his use of military force dropped to 38%. That matters because once voters start downgrading both the person and the performance, recovery gets harder. (pewresearch.org) ### Is this mostly about Iran? Iran is part of it, but not the whole thing. Marist found 60% disapproved of Trump’s handling of Iran, up from 54% in March, and 61% said U.S. military action in Iran had done more harm than good. But the economy is dragging too — 61% disapproved of his handling of it, and most people said local living costs were not affordable. Basically, foreign policy stress and cost-of-living stress are landing at the same time. (pewresearch.org) ### If he’s this unpopular, why isn’t the GOP collapsing? Because dislike of Trump is not the same thing as trust in Democrats. ABC’s February poll found registered voters nearly split on the House vote — 47% Democratic, 45% Republican — even with Trump’s approval at 39%. That’s the catch. Trump can be personally weak and still keep his party competitive if swing voters remain unconvinced by the alternative. (maristpoll.marist.edu) ### Are Republicans abandoning him? Not really — but there are cracks. Pew says some of Trump’s declines are coming at least as much from Republicans as Democrats. Marist found Republican disapproval of Trump’s overall job performance rose to 18%, up from 12% in March. That is not a revolt. But for a president who depends on intense base loyalty, even small erosion matters. (abcnews.com) ### Why does the bad number keep spreading then? Because “71% untrustworthy” is a sharper social-media weapon than “Trump is broadly unpopular across several current measures.” But the messier version is the truer one. The public picture is bad for Trump — just not in that exact viral format. ### Bottom line? Trump’s vulnerability is real. (pewresearch.org) The viral stat is probably not. The durable fact is that by late April and early May 2026, multiple polls showed him deeply underwater with the country even as Republicans stayed close in the midterm fight.