KUALA LUMPUR — Three quarters of Americans in a survey believe that US President Donald Trump should not run for a third term, according to a poll by Reuters and Ipsos.
The survey from April 16 to 21 with 4,306 people showed that Trump’s public approval rating had dropped to 42%, compared to the 47% he had when he took office on January 20.
Among Republican respondents, more than half – 53% – said Trump should not seek a third term.
Some 59% of respondents – including a third of Republicans – said America was losing credibility on the global stage, Reuters said in a report on the survey results.
The poll’s closure on April 21 comes two days after anti-Trump protests cities and towns across the US’ 50 states on April 19. News reports said more than 400 protests were scheduled nationwide, according to the organiser 50501 which stands for “50 protests, 50 states, one day”.
Reuters said the findings suggest many Americans are uncomfortable with Trump’s move to flex power, such as by punishing universities he considers too liberal.
There is also discomfort with his administration’s refusal to comply with court rulings, such as in recent cases over deportations of non-citizens even with legal documentation.
A total 83% said Trump should obey the federal court “even if he doesn’t want to”.
Of Republicans surveyed, 73% agreed that Trump should obey court orders he disagreed with.
On his punishment of universities he disagreed with by withholding federal funding, 57%, including one third of Republican respondents, disagreed.
66% of all surveyed also did not like Trump’s meddling in cultural institutions such as national museums and theatres, in reference to his orders for such institutions to remove “improper” ideology and to make himself chairman of the board of the Kennedy Centre, the country’s illustrious cultural guardian of the performing arts.
The poll also asked respondents about a range of other issues from inflation to taxation and rule of law, and found that those who disapproved of Trump’s performance in these areas outnumbered those who approved on each subject.
The poll had a margin of error of about two percentage points. – April 22, 2025