There is a striking paradox at the heart of the current American political landscape, one that defies the conventional wisdom of Washington punditry. While President Donald Trump’s personal approval ratings continue to slide, the ideological pillars of his platform remain remarkably resilient. Voters, it seems, are increasingly souring on the man, but they are still deeply in love with his ideas—particularly when it comes to the nation’s southern border.
New data from a Harvard-Harris online poll reveals a stark disconnect: Trump’s signature immigration policies are pulling in broad, cross-partisan support, even as the commander-in-chief himself struggles to maintain his footing.
The survey, which sampled 1,725 registered voters, took the temperature of the electorate on Trump’s most polarizing 2024 campaign promise: launching the largest domestic deportation operation in American history. The results were telling. A 56% majority of respondents backed the sweeping measure. Predictably, 77% of Republicans supported the plan, but more surprising was the buy-in from the political center and left: 53% of Independents and a notable 37% of Democrats signaled their approval for mass deportations.
When the question shifted from general deportation to focusing specifically on undocumented immigrants who have committed additional crimes on U.S. soil, the partisan divide virtually vanished. An overwhelming 80% of all respondents agreed with expelling criminal undocumented immigrants—a figure driven by 90% of Republicans, 77% of Independents, and 71% of Democrats.
As the pollsters themselves summarized in a telling subheading: “Most Trump policies receive majority support, with lowering drug prices, deporting criminal illegal immigrants, and cutting government waste the most popular.”
In total, Harvard-Harris tested 21 specific Trump policies. Only two failed to clear the 50% threshold.
Interestingly, the public drew a sharp line between the concept of deportation and the optics of a militarized police state. A proposal to hire 20,000 additional Border Patrol and ICE agents to conduct localized raids and community policing garnered just 47% support overall. While 74% of Republicans favored the influx of boots on the ground, support cratered to 42% among Independents and plummeted to a survey-low 22% among Democrats. This specific pushback suggests that years of concerted Democratic rhetoric framing ICE as an overly aggressive agency have successfully shaped public perception, even among voters who otherwise want tighter border enforcement.
For Trump, the political challenge is no longer about winning the policy debate; it is about translating that policy dominance into personal popularity.
Right now, he is failing to do so. According to the latest RealClearPolling aggregate, the president’s approval rating is hovering just north of 40%. That marks a steep 10-point drop since the optimistic dawn of his second administration.
Some of that erosion is coming from inside the house. High-profile conservative figures who once formed the bedrock of his media support have openly broken ranks. Podcaster Tucker Carlson and former Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene have fiercely criticized the administration over its military involvement in Iran, as well as its handling of the highly sensitive, unreleased files regarding the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Yet, the polling suggests these high-profile defections might be misreading the broader public mood. A massive 75% of respondents agreed that preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon is in the vital interest of the United States. Meanwhile, the Epstein controversy didn’t even register enough significance to be included among the 21 policies tested by Harvard-Harris.
Instead, the data points to a different source of voter dissatisfaction: a sense that the administration has gotten cold feet on the very issues that got it elected. Rather than abandoning Trump because he is too aggressive, a significant portion of the electorate appears frustrated that he isn’t moving fast enough on deportations.
The roots of that hesitation trace back to January, when an ICE enforcement surge into Minneapolis boiled over into violent clashes. Aggressive anti-ICE protesters clashed with authorities, resulting in the tragic deaths of two demonstrators, Renee Good and Alex Pretti. The fallout shook the White House, prompting the president to pivot and promise a “softer touch” regarding immigration enforcement.
Since that tactical retreat, Trump has shifted his energy outward, making the conflict in Iran his administration’s top priority. But as the foreign entanglement deepens and domestic enforcement slows, the American electorate is sending a clear, contradictory message: they still want the wall enforced and the laws enacted—they are just increasingly unsure if Trump is the man they want doing it.