More Americans like how President Donald Trump’s second term is going compared to the first, but most still hate both.
Trump’s “flood the zone” tactic appears to be getting attention as Americans say there’s been more immigration enforcement, federal agency shake-ups and military force on cities in his second term — but that doesn’t mean they like it.
A newly published YouGov poll asked Americans which of Trump’s two presidential terms they approve of more. Nearly half of respondents, 46 percent, said neither, while 14 percent said his first term, 16 percent said his second term and 20 percent liked both terms equally.
When comparing Trump’s two terms by initiatives, 83 percent said there’s been more immigration enforcement actions, 71 percent said there’s been more restructuring of federal agencies and 69 percent said there’s been more use of military force domestically.
In fulfilling the president’s campaign promise of mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, the Trump administration has carried out Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids across the country.
In another controversial move, Trump has deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles to quell anti-ICE protesters, to Washington D.C. and Memphis in the name of cracking down on crime, and near Chicago to help in his immigration enforcement efforts.
A federal judge paused the deployment of National Guard troops to Illinois Thursday, after Trump was temporarily blocked from deploying guardsmen to Portland, Oregon, to stop what the president called “lawless mayhem.”
Earlier in his term, Trump slashed the federal government with the help of tech billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency. CNN reported in July more than 50,000 federal workers have been laid off or targeted for layoffs in Trump’s second term.
The White House has also threatened mass layoffs amid the ongoing government shutdown, which began on October 1 after Republicans and Democrats failed to agree on a spending plan. According to the YouGov poll, 43 percent of Americans believe there’s been less bipartisan cooperation in Congress in Trump’s second term.
