GOP Gains More Trust Under Trump
Voters continue to express greater confidence in Republican leadership on several of the country’s most pressing issues, according to a newly released national survey from The Wall Street Journal.
While the broader congressional race remains competitive, the poll shows Republicans holding decisive advantages on policy areas that rank high with voters—particularly border security and immigration.
GOP Dominates on Border Security and Immigration
Among the most striking findings, voters favor Republicans over Democrats on border security by a wide margin, 48% to 20%. On immigration overall, Republicans also maintain a strong edge, outperforming Democrats by 11 percentage points.
These results come even as Democrats hold a narrow lead on the generic congressional ballot, where voters prefer Democrats 47% to 43%. Meanwhile, approval ratings for Donald Trump remain divided, with 45% of respondents approving of his performance and 54% disapproving.
Democratic Party Faces Image Challenges
The survey highlights a significant perception problem for Democrats. A majority of voters—58%—say they hold an unfavorable view of the Democratic Party, compared with 39% who view it favorably. Republicans also face skepticism, but their unfavorable ratings exceed positive views by a smaller 11-point margin.
According to the poll’s findings, this image gap may limit Democrats’ ability to capitalize on Republican weaknesses, even in a closely divided political environment.
Where Voters Trust Republicans More
On a range of national and international issues, respondents say they trust Republicans more than Democrats:
- Economy and inflation: Republicans lead by 6 points
- Foreign policy: GOP advantage of 5 points
- Russia-Ukraine conflict: Republicans favored by 4 points
- Trade and tariffs: GOP leads by 2 points
Democrats, however, retain advantages in certain domestic policy areas:
- Healthcare: Democrats lead by 15 points
- Vaccine policy: Democrats hold a 9-point edge
Trump Support Remains Firm Among Core Voters
The poll also shows strong loyalty among President Trump’s core supporters. Of voters who backed him in the 2024 election, 92% say they approve of his performance today, including 70% who say they strongly approve.
Survey Methodology
The poll was conducted January 8–13 among 1,500 registered voters nationwide. The margin of error for the full sample is plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
