Trump has 'collapsed' with 'core voters' on 3 key issues

President Donald Trump attends a ceremony marking the 24th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States at the Pentagon, in Washington D.C., September 11, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

Donald Trump's perceived mishandling of three key issues has "collapsed" his approval with his "core voters," according to an analysis from Vox, causing them to start "drifting away from him."

Much has been made of Trump's plummeting approval ratings across the entire electorate, largely driven by independents abandoning him in significant numbers and the loss of key demographics who swung towards him in 2024, like Latinos and young men. His main supporters, however, have largely been perceived as staunch, unmovable loyalists, but that may be starting to change.

According to Vox, while he may not be facing a full-on "backlash" from his core voters, Trump may now be seeing his support from them wane in the face of three key issues: the economy, the Epstein files, and immigration.

On the economic front, the cost of living has remained the top political issue for most voters, and it was one of the main issues Trump campaigned on in 2024. Over a year into his second term, however, most voters do not see any improvements and are accusing Trump of failing to deliver, despite his repeated claims that economic revival is just around the corner.

Speaking with Vox about the issue, Bulwark publisher and political strategy consultant said that "there is a heavy sense of betrayal from voters" towards Trump over his economic record, and the window for him to win them back will close by the midterms. Studies cited by Vox found that 60 percent of voters disapprove of Trump on the economy, with one New York Times survey finding that even Republicans were feeling jaded, as less than 10 percent said that the economy was "excellent."

Another issue is Trump's handling of the files related to deceased sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Trump and many other Republicans initially hyped up the files, insisting that they would reveal new details about the case and Epstein's collaborators, but as of Friday's release of files, they have revealed "nothing that materially changes our understanding of Epstein’s crimes or associates," according to Vox.

"Trump’s relationship to the Epstein case is a long and tangled one," Vox's analysis explained. "During his 2024 presidential campaign, he promised to release all files associated with the multiple criminal investigations into Epstein and his partner, Ghislaine Maxwell — a priority for a large contingent of right-wing voters. Many believed the files would expose a dark global conspiracy among celebrities and politicians, separate from the many heinous crimes for which Epstein was already tried and convicted. Once in office, however, Trump released only a handful of the DOJ’s Epstein files and called interest in the case a Democrat-led hoax."

Now, roughly two-thirds of all voters, and 42 percent of Republicans, believe that the DOJ is withholding information about Epstein from the public. Conservative radio host John Fredericks previously told Vox that Trump's handling of the files has been "the biggest mistake he’s made."

Finally, Trump has seen his approval on immigration plummet, even as it was once seen as his best issue with voters. In response to his widespread crackdown on immigrants and his mass deportation plans, most voters now disapprove of his handling of the issue.

“They did not want bands of masked agents roaming the streets, knocking down doors, waiting outside of schools, holding kids as bait, deporting people who had been here for 20 years and hadn’t broken any other laws,” Longwell told Vox. “There’s a lot of sadness and confusion in the voters. t’s not just, do they side with the officers? Do they side with the people who were killed? It’s a lot more like: ‘This is bad. This feels bad. It looks bad. I don’t like it.’”

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