Is there any issue on which trump is underwater with republican boters
Executive summary
Republican voters broadly continue to support President Trump, but the reporting shows clear cracks: on the economy — especially cost-of-living and tariffs — and on immigration enforcement and some foreign-policy adventures, sizable fractions of Republicans are less supportive or divided [1] [2] [3]. Those issue-level weaknesses are eroding margins with independents and swing groups and are already producing intraparty pushback from members of Congress [4] [5].
1. Economy: the clearest area where Trump is underwater even inside his party
The clearest evidence that Trump is “underwater” on a particular issue comes from multiple polls showing declining Republican confidence in his economic stewardship: an AP-NORC poll found only 16% of Republicans say Trump has helped “a lot” on the cost of living in his second term, down sharply from 49% in 2024 [6], Marquette and Fox polling cited by Forbes show Republican approval of his handling of the economy slipping (75% from 82% and drops among key subgroups) [1], and a CBS News poll reported just 39% of all voters approved of his handling of the economy — a strikingly weak overall rating that is driving alarm inside the GOP [7]. Brookings reporting further ties economic dissatisfaction to waning support among swing groups and warns that Trump’s policy focus on a narrow set of issues has left him exposed where voters say the economy matters most [4] [2].
2. Tariffs and trade: an unusually bipartisan backlash, including Republicans
Trade policy — especially tariffs, a signature Trump tool — is unpopular even among many Republicans: Brookings reported that 75% of Americans, including 56% of Republicans, believe tariffs are raising prices and only 14% support more tariffs, signaling a direct hit to one of Trump’s hallmark economic approaches [2]. That dynamic helps explain why some Republican voters and lawmakers are queasy about the administration’s economic priorities even if they remain broadly aligned with the president on other cultural or political matters [2] [1].
3. Immigration enforcement: party unity frays on tactics and harm
Immigration remains a signature Republican priority under Trump, but polling shows significant Republican ambivalence over the administration’s aggressive tactics: a Reuters/Ipsos survey found Republicans split, with 59% favoring arrests even if people get hurt and 39% preferring policies that reduce harm even if arrests fall, and overall approval of Trump’s immigration approach at its lowest since he returned to office [3]. That split is meaningful because it shows many Republican voters back the goal but balk at methods that create public backlash or fatalities, producing a vulnerability for the administration.
4. Foreign-policy stunts: Greenland and Venezuela generating GOP pushback
Several high-profile foreign-policy moves have prompted visible Republican dissent, with congressional allies publicly warning against plans such as seizing Greenland and some criticizing actions around Venezuela; The Guardian and Newsweek report that these ideas prompted forceful warnings and votes against administration measures, even as many in the party still generally support Trump [8] [5]. Opinion pieces and reporting also document private unease among Trump-supporting Republicans over perceived corruption or lack of transparency in interventions, suggesting these issues can translate into public discomfort or defections [9] [8].
5. Intraparty politics: support remains robust but not monolithic
Despite these issue-specific weaknesses, most polls still show a large majority of Republicans approve of Trump overall — YouGov/Economist polling placed approval as high as 81% among Republicans at one point and Reuters noted 95% continued approval in one poll — yet multiple outlets warn this is a second-term low and that fissures are growing as members of Congress begin to vote against or criticize administration policies [5] [3]. In short, the president’s standing with Republican voters is high in the aggregate, but not unassailable: on the economy, trade/tariffs, immigration tactics, and certain foreign-policy ventures there is measurable erosion or division that rivals historical norms for unified party backing [6] [2] [3] [8].
6. Bottom line: yes — but the damage is issue-specific, not yet terminal
Reporting shows that Trump is indeed “underwater” on specific issues with segments of Republican voters — most prominently on the economy (cost of living and tariffs) and on the methods used in immigration enforcement — and that some foreign-policy gambits have prompted GOP blowback; however, aggregate party approval remains strong, meaning these weaknesses create political risk rather than immediate collapse [6] [2] [3] [5]. The sources do not provide a uniform quantitative threshold for “underwater” among Republicans across every poll, so the judgment must rest on the documented trends: discernible erosion on a handful of core issues that could widen if economic and policy outcomes do not improve [7] [10].