As if being in the minority weren’t hard enough already, Democratic leadership in Congress has to do it without the confidence of their own party. A new Gallup poll shows that confidence among Democratic voters is low.
What does the poll show?
The poll found only 39% of Democrats express a great deal or fair amount of confidence in their party’s congressional leadership. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, N.Y., came in at 50%, Sen. Chuck Schumer, N.Y., was at 48%.
That’s lower than their Republican counterparts, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, La., (72%) and Sen. Majority Leader John Thune, S.D., (64%).
Overall, 76% of Republicans have confidence in their party’s congressional leadership.
Do people approve of President Trump?
The poll was conducted as President Donald Trump finished up his first three months as president. His approval rating came in at 45%, which is the second-lowest on record for a president’s first quarter. The only rating lower than that since World War II is his own from 2017 (41%). The average first-quarter presidential approval rating is 59%.
Pollsters conducted the survey from April 1-14, as the nation saw its economic prospects swing drastically. President Trump announced tariffs on every nation in the world on April 2, which sent the stock market tumbling approximately 10% over the next couple of days.
Markets have since rebounded slightly, due in part to a pause in tariffs during a negotiation period. The Dow Jones is down approximately 6.7% from where it was a month ago.
While Trump deals with the economy, Democrats are trying to figure out a way they can unify themselves against Trump’s agenda. They’ve tried social media campaigns on the high cost of living, book bans, deportations and even President Trump saying he wants to run for a third term. So far, they haven’t gotten anything to stick with their base, or independents who they hope to sway in the 2026 midterm elections.
