A new Harvard CAPS/Harris poll shows President Trump’s approval rebounding to 47%, up 3 points from November’s 44% low after the government shutdown. Voters split 50-50 on whether the economy is better under Trump than under Biden, and whether his policies strengthen the nation’s finances.
However, Republicans lead decisively on economic trust, 55% vs. Democrats’ 45%, +6 from November. Amid affordability concerns Democrats have weaponized to attack Trump, the poll signals GOP momentum in the 2026 midterms, with 62% crediting Republicans for “winning” the shutdown and 68% approving its resolution—potentially disastrous for Democrats defending seats.
Offering much-needed context, Mark Penn, Co-Director of Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll, said, “This poll is a clear bounce back from the government shutdown when attitudes of the American public were really going off a cliff. But the concern for inflation – and what’s perceived as the administration’s failure to deal with it – is the dominant thing weighing down the administration.”
Conservatives celebrated on social media. “A new Harvard-Harris poll shows Trump outperforming Congress by a massive 19 points. Trump approval: 47%. Congress approval: 35%. Voters are frustrated — and Congress is FAR more unpopular than Trump,” one post read.
Agreeing, another tweet said, “JUST IN: A new Harvard/Harris poll found that Donald Trump’s approval rating has climbed 3 points to 47 percent. The same poll showed 62 percent of voters believe Republicans ‘won’ the government shutdown fight.” Additionally, on user stated, “Trump approval surges +5 since Nov to 47%. Attacks failing hard. GOP wins big in 2026 if Congress follows Trump’s lead. 🔥”
Excited by the news, a conservative posted, “The Harvard/Harris surge is the momentum we’ve been waiting for! Trump’s approval rocketing +5 points since November? The left’s witch hunts… aren’t landing—they’re backfiring hard… This is how we save the party and the nation. Who’s hyped for the red wave?”
From another angle, a post on social media contrasted the GOP’s popularity with that of Congress. “🚨 NEW POLL: Trump CRUSHES Congress. A new Harvard-Harris poll shows Trump outperforming Congress by a massive 19 points. Trump approval: 47% Congress approval: 35%… Voters are frustrated — and Congress is FAR more unpopular than Trump,” the user said.
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Emphasizing the foreign policy implementations, another noted, “POLL: Amid media handwringing on the topic, nearly 70% of Americans support the Trump administration’s strikes on drug boats from Latin America, according to a new Harvard-Harris poll.”
However, some liberals pointed to different polling data. Brookings stated, “Republicans have reason to worry that the president’s political decline will affect their performance in next year’s midterm elections… Democrats hold an advantage of 5.3% [on House ballot].”
In recent comments, Trump has dismissed Democrat attempts to paint the economy as failing due to his policies. “Affordability is a Democrat hoax,” he said. “They just say the word,” Trump said of Democrats during a cabinet meeting. Doubling down on these arguments, the president stated, “It doesn’t mean anything to anybody. They just say it — affordability. I inherited the worst inflation in history. There was no affordability. Nobody could afford anything,” Trump claimed.
Watch an American farmer thank Trump for a major economic move that has helped save numerous American farmers: