Trump’s approval rating slips in MA as Republican support drops

The poll, released Nov. 19, found that 66% of Massachusetts residents disapprove of Trump’s handling of his job, while 34% approve.
His net approval rating is -32, which is down from -26 in September, likely driven in part by a drop in support among Massachusetts Republicans (78% approve, down from 95% in September).
His approval on the economy has also dropped since September: just 29% approve.

President Donald Trump’s approval rating has slipped in Massachusetts, found a new poll out of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center.

The poll, released Nov. 19, found that 66% of Massachusetts residents disapprove of Trump’s handling of his job, while 34% approve. His net approval rating is -32. That number, down from -26 in September, is likely driven in part by a drop in support among Massachusetts Republicans (78% approve, down from 95% in September).

His approval on the economy has also dropped since September. Just 29% approve while 71% disapprove, giving him a net approval of -42 – down 11 points since September. Here, too, the poll found a 32-point drop in support among Republicans (from 93% to 61%).

Both people who approve and disapprove cite tariffs as their number one reason behind their opinion.

For those who disapprove, the next top reasons, following distantly, are because of the price of goods, because of the cost of living and because they think Trump is not helping working or middle class people.

Of those who approve, tariffs are followed by energy prices, jobs and a belief that the economy is growing.

These findings come as a Reuters/Ipsos poll this week found that Trump’s popularity has dipped to the lowest in his second term nationally due to reasons including his handling of the cost of living and the Jeffery Epstein files.

The UNH poll surveyed 693 Massachusetts residents online between Nov. 13 and Nov. 17. The margin of error is +/- 3.7%.

How do MA residents feel about the end of the government shutdown?

The government shutdown is now over after some Senate Democrats, including New Hampshire Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, made a deal to reopen the government in exchange for a reversal of federal worker layoffs and a promise for a vote on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies.

Many national Democrats opposed the deal as it didn’t guarantee an extension of the ACA tax credits that the party had demanded for weeks. In Massachusetts, nearly two-thirds of residents support extending the subsidies, including 97% of Democrats and 54% of Independents. It perhaps follows then that 72% of Democrats oppose the deal ending the shutdown.

However, overall, Bay Staters are split on the deal.The poll found 45% support it, including 90% of Republicans, 52% of Independents and 17% of Democrats. On the other side, 44% oppose.

But there is broad agreement among Massachusetts residents (96%) that all federal workers who were furloughed or who continued working during the shutdown should receive backpay.

Should Trump sink boats off Venezuela coast?

The only aspect of Trump’s presidency where support has improved is in foreign affairs. The survey found that 36% approve while 62% disapprove, making a net approval rating of -26 that is up from -33 in September.

However, two-thirds disapprove of the U.S. military sinking civilian boats off the coast of Venezuela that it claimed were involved in drug trafficking. Approval is partisan, with 93% of Democrats disapproving and 65% of Republicans approving.

These actions have appeared to be part of a pressure campaign aimed at Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who Trump seems to blame for drugs and gangs on American streets. While he has not yet made a decision about what he plans to do in the country, a majority of Massachusetts residents oppose an attempt to remove Maduro from power.