Donald TrumpSince he took office at the beginning of the year, his standing among Latino adults has fallen markedly, according to a new poll.
Survey Associated Press— The NORC Center for Public Affairs Research suggests growing unease among a voting bloc that was critical to his 2024 re-election victory. The October poll shows that 25% of Latino adults now have a “somewhat” or “very” favorable opinion of Trump, up from 44% in an AP-NORC poll taken just before he began his second term.
At the same time, the share of Latino respondents who believe the country is heading in the wrong direction rose from 63% in March to 73% in October.
Latino adults also expressed less confidence in Trump's handling of the economy and immigration, two key issues that once bolstered his support during last year's campaign. Overall approval of his job performance also fell, with 41% approving of Trump's performance as president in March, down from 27% this month.
Latino voters played decisive role in that he helped Trump become president for a second time; almost half Hispanic voters backed him in 2024. His support among Hispanic voters was 12 points higher than in 2020 (48% in 2024, 36% in 2020). On the other hand, voting for the Democratic candidate fell from 61% to 51%.
Now the president's decline in popularity comes as the Trump administration continues to pursue harsh immigration enforcement policies that have directly impacted Latino communities of all income levels.
According to the poll, only about a quarter of Latino adults favor deporting all immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, while about half oppose the policy and the rest say they have no opinion.
Economists see immigration and economic problems how intertwinedwith both low-wage and high-skilled Latin American workers feeling the effects of trade uncertainty and strict immigration measures. Research has shown that immigrants are actually help improve local economy by increasing consumer spending and filling labor shortages.
The survey also highlights growing financial strain in Latino households. Respondents reported higher levels of stress about food, housing, health care, and wages than the general U.S. population.
Negative public perceptions of Trump have increased among young Latinos and men. About two-thirds of Latino adults under 45 and Latino men now view the president unfavorably, up from about half in September 2024.
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Trump's decline in popularity is evident even among Latino Republicans, a key coalition of his voters. The poll shows that about 65% of Latino Republicans said they view the president “very” or “somewhat” favorably, down markedly from a September 2024 AP-NORC poll that found 83% viewed him at least “somewhat” favorably.
The study found that overall, immigration remains the top personal issue for Latino adults. About two-thirds said the issue was important to them, compared with about six in 10 white adults and half of black adults.
The AP-NORC poll of 1,289 adults was conducted Oct. 9-13. The margin of error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points, and for Hispanic adults overall it is plus or minus 6.9 percentage points.
