Trump’s favorability has fallen in North Carolina, a new poll shows
.JPG "President Donald Trump and former Republican National Committee chair and Republican U.S. Senate primary candidate Michael Whatley speak on stage during a rally at the Rocky Mount Event Center in Rocky Mount on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. Trump endorsed Whatley in July.")
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- HPU poll of 1,000 North Carolina adults shows Trump approval at 41% vs 48% disapprove.
- Top issue approvals: border security 51%, protecting workers 48%, national security 47%.
- Lowest approvals: inflation 31%, climate 31%, Ukraine 30%, national debt 30%.
Good morning! It’s Danielle Battaglia with the latest edition of Under the Dome focused on the Trump administration.
It’s hard to believe it’s now been more than a year since I watched, inside the U.S. Capitol, as President Donald Trump was sworn into office.
If you recall, 51% of North Carolina’s voters wanted Trump back as president.
On Thursday, High Point University released a new poll showing how adults in North Carolina view the president and his policies a year later. They polled 1,000 people, 18 years or older, 831 of whom are registered to vote.
Of those 1,000 people, 41% say they approve of the way Trump is doing his job as president, while 48% disapprove.
And if you’re wondering the political makeup of those polled, 35% consider themselves Republicans, 28% Democrats and 32% independent.
They were given a list of 23 issues Trump has dealt with during the first year of his second term in office and asked whether they approve of his work in those areas.
He received the highest approval ratings for his work securing the border (at 51%), protecting American workers (at 48%) and dealing with national security, in general (at 47%).
His lowest approval ratings were for his work on inflation (at 31%), climate change (at 31%), the Ukraine war (at 30%) and the national debt (at 30%).
His highest disapproval ratings came from his work on inflation (at 59%), government fraud and corruption (at 54%), the national debt (at 53%) and tariffs (at 51%).
Fifty percent of those polled said they don’t support tariffs and 47% did not believe tariffs would lead to more jobs.
Forty-three percent said the U.S. economy is getting worse. Thirty-eight percent believe they’re worse off financially than they were a year ago, though 35% believe they’ll be better off in another year.
When it comes to Congress, 32% of those polled said they approve of how Congress is doing its job, while 48% disapproved.
Congress took a larger portion of blame for the government shutdown in October than Trump. Thirty-one percent blamed Democrats in Congress, while 24% blamed a bipartisan combination of Trump, Republicans and Democrats in Congress.
The poll also asked about favorability of two of North Carolina’s Senate candidates.
Roy Cooper was favorable to 44% of respondents, and unfavorable to 34%. Michael Whatley polled at 23% favorable and 20% unfavorable, though 56% were unsure or not familiar with him.
The poll tackled many other issues, from trust in the U.S. Supreme Court to the job of Gov. Josh Stein to whether those polled find any favorability in Russian President Vladimir Putin. The full poll can be read here.
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That’s it for now. Thanks for reading and supporting local journalism.
Be kind to one another. Hug your loved ones tight.
If you have any feedback or tips for this edition of the newsletter, feel free to reach out to me directly at dbattaglia@mcclatchydc.com.
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This story was originally published February 2, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Trump’s favorability has fallen in North Carolina, a new poll shows."
