Trump approval down, voters against deploying National Guard to assist ICE: Emerson College Polling survey
(WHTM) — The latest Emerson College Polling survey shows President Trump’s approval rating slipping to 45 percent.
The president’s approval rating is down four points since January in the poll, while his disapproval is up 6 points, now at 47 percent.
Additionally, a plurality of voters, at 48 percent, disapprove of Trump deploying the National Guard to 19 states to assist U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), while 44 percent approve.
Voters were split on whether the National Guard should be deployed to certain major cities, with 48 percent of the 1,000 responding approving of soldiers deploying to Washington, D.C.
Forty-eight percent of voters disapproved of deploying the National Guard to Los Angeles, New York or Boston, and 47 percent disapproved of sending soldiers to Chicago.
Ahead of the 2028 Democratic presidential primary, support for California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who is widely expected to run, increased from 12 percent to 25 percent since June.
“Governor Newsom’s support surged across key demographic groups, highlighted by a 12-point increase among voters under 30 (6 percent to 18 percent) an 18-point increase among voters over 70 (13percent to 31 percent), and a 14-point increase among both Black (9 percent to 23 percent) and White (10 percent to 24 percent) voters,” said Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling.
In a head-to-head matchup, Newsom and Vice President Vance were tied at 44 percent, with 12 percent undecided. Newsom had trailed Vance head-to-head 45 percent to 42 percent with 13 percent undecided in July.
The top issue for voters remains the economy at 33 percent, followed by threats to democracy at 24 percent, immigration at 12 percent and health care at 9 percent. Forty-one percent of voters noted that their family’s finances are worse off than a year ago, up four points from July; 28 percent say they are better off financially than a year ago, a four-point decrease, and 31 percent say they are about the same.
A majority of voters, at 65 percent, said they believe legalizing marijuana nationally is a good idea, a 5-point increase since October 2024.
“All age groups think national marijuana legalization is a good idea except those over 70, who think it is a bad idea 52 percent to 48 percent,” Kimball said. “Support is highest among voters under 30 (71 percent) and in their 40s (74 percent).”
Ahead of the NFL season kick-off on Sept. 4, 10 percent of voters surveyed said they think the Kansas City Chiefs will win the Super Bowl. The reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, who defeated Kansas City in the big game last season, received 7 percent.
The Buffalo Bills also received 7 percent, while the Detroit Lions had 5 percent.
“Northeasterners are most confident in the defending champion Eagles repeating, with 20 percent expecting them to win another title. In the Midwest, regional loyalties show through, as more fans are backing the Lions (15 percent) and Packers (14 percent) than the Chiefs (11 percent),” Kimball said.
The poll’s full results and methodology are available on the Emerson College Polling website.