'Not surprising': New poll explains why some voters still approve of Trump
U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he meets with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (not pictured) in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 17, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
According to a recent poll conducted by The New York Times and Siena College, people who were less engaged with prominent news coverage during President Donald Trump’s first 100 days were more inclined to view his performance favorably.
Roughly one in three voters reported being largely unaware of at least one major development from Trump’s first 100 days. These incidents include the erroneous deportation of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia to El Salvador, market volatility, or budget cuts initiated by tech billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), per the Times.
But despite these gaps in awareness, a majority of Americans say they are paying close attention to news from the Trump administration — a higher level of engagement than was seen during the initial phase of former President Joe Biden’s term.
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Immigration was the issue on which Trump received his highest approval ratings, although a majority of Americans still viewed his approach negatively, according to the poll.
Support for Trump’s immigration policies was notably stronger among voters who were unaware of the wrongful deportation of Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man who was deported to El Salvador due to what the administration said was an "administrative error." Trump officials appeared to ignore the Supreme Court ruling against their decision to deport the man.
Those unfamiliar with this case and similar immigration incidents were more likely to believe Trump’s actions on immigration were appropriate or even too restrained, per the poll.
"Trump has traditionally done well with lower-information voters, so it is perhaps not surprising that they are more inclined to support his presidency. These voters are also notoriously difficult for pollsters to reach, making it challenging to track their exact impact," the Times report said.
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Although the majority of Americans were aware of recent stock market swings, around 20 percent said they had heard little to nothing about them. This less-informed group was considerably more likely to express approval of how Trump was managing the economy, the poll showed.
