New poll shows Trump's approval dipping lower
Terry Collins
USA Today
..... American approval of President Donald Trump's immigration policy dropped to its lowest level since his return to the White House, a new Reuters/Iposos poll found, amid growing backlash after federal immigration agents fatally shot two people in Minneapolis earlier this month. [01/2026]
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The poll, conducted nationwide January 23-25, [2026] gathered responses before and after immigration officers on January 24 [2026] killed a second U.S. citizen in Minneapolis during confrontations with protesters over Trump's deployment of immigration agents to cities across the United States, 53% of Americans polled disapproved of the president;s immigration policy, while 39% approve of the job Trump is doing on immigration down from 41% in the prior Reuters/Ipsos poll earlier this month. [01/2026]
..... The poll gathered responses from 1,139 U.S. adults and had a margin of error of abut three percentage points.
..... Immigration was a brighter spot for Trump's popularity in the weeks following his January [2025] inauguration. In February 2025, 50% approved and 41% disapproved.
..... Trump own the 2024 presidential election after promising a historic surge in deportations. Masked immigration officers, often in tactical military-style gear, have become a common sight across the nation, and protests against the crackdown have erupted in several cities, including Minneapolis, when immigration agents have responded with deadly force.
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ICU nurse Alex Pretti was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis on January 24. [2026] trump administration officials have accused Pretti, 37, a U.S. citizen, of assaulting officers during a protest in Minneapolis, though that account has appeared at odd with videos recorded by bystanders.
.... Renee Good, 37, another U.S. citizen, was fatally shot by a federal agent in Minneapolis on January 7 [2026] during an immigration raid. On January 26, [2026] Trump said he would send border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota to lead some operations on the round.
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Trump's overall approval rating also slid to 38%, according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, tying the lowest level of his current term, as it dropped from 41% in the prior Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted January 12 to January 13. [2026]
..... The survey also found that about 58% of Americans polled said Immigration and Customs enforcement agents have gone "too far" in their crackdown, while 12% said ICE had not gone far enough, and 26% said the agents' efforts were just "about right." About nine in 10 Democrats said the agents have gone too far, compared to two in 10 Republicans and six in 10 independents.
..... Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on January 26 [2026] said Trump agreed to consider reducing the number of immigration agents in Minnesota and will ensure state investigators can independently probe the Pretti shooting Walz's office said in a statement that he had a "productive" call with the president about an hour after Trump himself said the two were on a "similar wavelength."
..... Contributing: Christopher Cann, James Powel, Trevor Hughes. Joey Garrison, Erin Mansfiled, Micael Loria, and Francesca Chambers, USA today; Reuters