A majority of voters in New York state believe that the policies and initiatives pushed by President Donald Trump at home and abroad will not make America great, according to a poll conducted by Siena College of 800 voters in the state.
While New York City is heavily Democratic, much of upstate New York is Republican. Former Vice President Kamala Harris won the 2024 election in the Empire State 56 to 43 percent, with Trump receiving more than three and a half million votes in the state.
New York voters said by a margin of 54 to 33 percent that Trump’s policies are not moving the country in the right direction.
The same poll found that New York voters believe, by a 52 to 28 percent margin, that Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” will make life worse for a majority of Americans. Sixty-one percent supported removing income taxes on tips, while 21 percent opposed the measure. New York voters also support requiring healthy adult Medicaid recipients to work to get benefits by a margin of 48 to 32 percent. They are strongly opposed to cutting corporate taxes and cutting SNAP benefits for the poor.
Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg said in a statement that “It’s not surprising in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans two-to-one – the President’s home for most of his life – that New Yorkers do not think that everything that Trump is doing – domestically and abroad – will make America great.”
“It’s also not surprising that nearly three-quarters of Republicans think he will make America great, while more than two-thirds of Democrats do not,” he added. “Interestingly, independents, by a two-to-one margin, do not think Trump will make America great.”
“About two-thirds of Black and Latino voters don’t think Trump will make America great, and by a 48-40 percent plurality, white voters agree,” he said. “Only 26 percent of New York City voters, 36 percent of upstate voters, and 39 percent of downstate suburban voters think Trump’s actions will make America great.”
Trump has a favorability rating of 37 percent compared to 60 percent with a negative view. Meanwhile, his job approval rating is 39 to 59 percent. On immigration, 45 percent approve compared to 54 percent who disapprove. The president is doing worse on inflation, with 36 percent having a positive view and 61 percent who don’t.
Greenberg noted that the Democrats “overwhelmingly” believe that the Big, Beautiful Bill will make life worse for average Americans, by a margin of 69 to 17 percent. Independents are on the same page, by a margin of 49 to 25 percent. However, Republicans think the legislation will improve the lives of average Americans by 55 to 16 percent.
“A majority or plurality of voters, regardless of region, gender, age, race, or income, say the BBB will worsen life for average Americans,” said Greenberg.
“Majorities or pluralities of Democrats, Republicans, and independents agree in their support of eliminating taxes on tips, and their opposition to reducing SNAP benefits for poor Americans,” he added. “While majorities of Democrats and independents oppose cutting taxes for corporations, a small plurality of Republicans support it. And while a majority of Republicans and a plurality of independents support requiring healthy adults on Medicaid to work, Democrats are evenly divided.”
Forty-three percent said New York state shouldn’t support the federal government’s efforts to detain migrants living illegally in the state, while 41 percent said the state should back such measures.
Voters also disapproved of Trump’s efforts to address hostilities between Israel and Iran, by a margin of 54 to 40 percent. Voters also opposed Trump’s decision to bomb Iran, by a margin of 46 to 38 percent.
By a margin of 58 to 35 percent, voters say the country is headed in the wrong direction. This is also divided by party, with more than two-thirds of Democrats stating that the country is moving in the wrong direction, while over two-thirds of Republicans believe the country is on the right track. Independent voters, meanwhile, say that the country is moving in the wrong direction by a margin of 62 to 29 percent.
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