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New CNN poll hints at a disconnect between Trump’s priorities and what Americans want

Over half of the American population polled does not believe that Trump is prioritizing the right issues.
PUBLISHED JAN 17, 2026
US President Donald Trump. (Cover Image Source: Getty Images| Photo by Photo by Chip Somodevilla)
US President Donald Trump. (Cover Image Source: Getty Images| Photo by Photo by Chip Somodevilla)

The Midterm elections are scheduled for November this year, and for the Republican Party to do well, Donald Trump’s image plays a crucial role. Unfortunately, a recent poll suggests that a large majority of Americans believe that he is not doing a good enough job, or even focusing on the issues that matter to them. The economy has become a major talking point ahead of the elections, and the President’s report card so far does not fare well.

U.S. President Donald Trump talks to reporters (Image source: Getty Images/Photo by Anna Moneymaker-Pool)
U.S. President Donald Trump. (Image source: Getty Images/Photo by Anna Moneymaker-Pool)

The poll was conducted by CNN, and it showed that 58% of Americans believed that Trump’s second year had been a failure so far. The President may tout that he is doing a lot for the economy to get better, but Americans simply do not believe him. The affordability crisis is seemingly a major concern, and the President has called it a hoax cooked up by the Democrats multiple times so far.

Obviously, that hasn't left a pleasant aftertaste in the mouths of those who are struggling to afford basic necessities. Americans’ outlook on the economy has been negative since Joe Biden’s last term, but the pessimism about the future has worsened under Trump. The poll claims that four out of 10 Americans do not believe that things are going to get better a year from now. This was at 56% when he took the oath for the second time.

(Image Source: Getty Images| Photo by Chip Somodevilla)
US President Donald Trump. (Image Source: Getty Images| Photo by Chip Somodevilla)

Only 32% of those who participated in the survey believe that Trump’s policies have made the economy better, with 55% beleiving that they’ve had the opposite effect. A rather damning statistic is that 64% of Americans simply do not believe that the President has done enough to address rising prices across all sectors. Even 42% of Republicans and Republican-ish people believe that he should be doing more to bring down prices.

Just 36% of those polled believe that Trump has his priorities right, down from 45% since the beginning of his second term. The President might have campaigned for those struggling with high costs, but right now, only one-third of the people polled believe that he cares about their issues, down from 40% last March and the worst rating of his political career.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump sits in the courtroom during his civil fraud trial at New York Supreme Court on January 11, 2024 in New York City. Trump won't make his own closing arguments after his lawyers objected to Judge Arthur Engoron insistence that Trump stay within the bounds of
U.S. President Donald Trump (Image credit: Getty Images|Photo by Jefferson Siegel-Pool)

What’s more, a large percentage of people believe that the President puts himself before the country. Only 37% believe that Trump puts his country first, and only 40% believe that he’s in touch with the everyday problems of Americans.

“Even if he is doing some good in areas, he comes across as very self-seeking and (shows a) lack of caring about the common good of our citizens,” one of the people who took part in the poll said. Of course, President Trump has his own views about the authenticity of this poll since he has labelled CNN as a source of 'fake news' multiple times in public.

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