Poll shows Americans divided on country's direction and Trump's job

A new poll from NBC News shows that Americans are fairly divided on whether the country is headed in the right direction and how well President Trump is doing his job. Two of the biggest things on people's minds are the economy and immigration.

The survey, which talked to almost 20,000 adults across the country, found that only about 4 out of 10 people (39%) think the U.S. is on the "right track." The other 6 out of 10 (60%) think things are going in the "wrong track." This hasn't really changed much since April.

When it comes to President Trump's job performance, about 45% of people approve of how he's doing, while 55% disapprove. His approval rating has declined slightly since April.

Key Issues for Americans

People were asked about specific issues, and here's what they thought:

Border Security and Immigration: Trump gets a bit more approval here, with 51% saying they like how he's handling it, but 49% disapprove.

Inflation and Cost of Living: Most people aren't happy with how Trump is handling rising prices. Only 39% approve, while 61% disapprove.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI): About 44% approve of his work on DEI, but 56% disapprove.

Trade and Tariffs: 40% approve, 60% disapprove.

Colleges and Universities: 43% approve of his policies regarding higher education, but 56% disapprove.

The economy is the number one concern for Americans (27%), with immigration close behind (23%). Other things that people care about include crime, threats to democracy, and healthcare.

Other Findings

Military Parade: Most people (64%) don't want the government to spend up to $45 million on a military parade for the Army's 250th birthday.

Personal Finances: About a third of people (34%) say their financial situation is "worse" than a year ago, while 21% say it's "better." More than half (51%) think Trump's trade policies will make their finances "worse" in the next year.

Elon Musk's DOGE Efforts: Efforts by Elon Musk with DOGE to cut down on government spending are mostly seen as a "failure" (38%) or "partial failure" (26%).

Budget Priorities: When Congress talks about the budget, most people (51%) want to keep spending the same on programs like Medicaid, while fewer (28%) want to focus on reducing the national debt.

Colleges and Universities: Public opinion on higher education is mixed. About 44% of people think colleges and universities like Harvard are "hurting the country," while 24% believe they are "helping."

Political Parties

When it comes to political parties, Democrats are slightly more popular, but a lot of people (37%) feel that "neither party" is fighting for them. Also, more people believe Republican politicians are "sometimes dishonest" or "always dishonest" (48%) compared to Democrats (44%).

The poll found that the number of people who identify as Republican (37%) is about the same as those who identify as Democrat (37%). Within those parties, about half of Republicans (54%) are aligned with the "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) movement, and about half of Democrats (55%) identify with progressive causes.

Detailed poll results may be seen below: