For more than half, the US is getting worse

This is reflected in several surveys published in the run-up to from the State of the Union addresswhich will take place on Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. (at three in the morning in Spain) and will serve for the president to describe the objectives of his Administration and address the country’s most pressing problems.

The polls, in general, paint a scenario of growing skepticism among public opinion, in addition to a loss of support even within the Republican ranks. Without going any further, a survey carried out by NPR, PBS News y Marist College At the end of January, 55% believe that the country under Trump’s leadership has “changed for the worse.”

This is the worst figure for the Republican leader during his current mandate, but also in his first. Furthermore, according to the same survey, 78% of the people consulted see a serious threat to the future of American democracy, while 68% believe that the system of checks and balances that divides power between the president, Congress and the courts is not working well.

The trend is similar to that presented in the demographic study prepared by the Wall Street Journal at the beginning of January, where only 45% of voters said they approved of Trump’s management, while 54% rejected it.

The sight set on the midterms

These approval ratings could take their toll on the American president ahead of the midterm elections (the midterms) November. All the forecasts, In fact, they suggest that the Republicans could suffer a severe electoral setback and lose the majority they have in both chambers of Congress.

The territorial expansion strategy of the president of the United States, marked by controversial actions such as military intervention in Venezuela which resulted in the capture of its leader Nicolas Maduro and his repeated threats to acquire Greenland —an autonomous territory of Denmark— is not gaining support among American society. Nor between international allies.

In fact, regarding the arctic island issue, 86% of Americans reject the US annexing Greenlandaccording to data released by Fox News, a network close to the Trump Administration.

In parallel, a Pew Research Center survey conducted earlier this year also concluded that Trump’s second term actions were unpopular. Only 27% of adults in the United States said they support all or most of his policies and plans.

Polarization in the US

The partisan fracture, however, continues to mark the political pulse in the United States. 90% of Democrats maintains that the country is worse than a year ago, while 82% of Republicans consider that the situation has improved.

Polarization is not new, but the data points to a consolidation of blocks that are increasingly impermeable to each other.

Despite this, the Republican leader has also lost popularity among Republican voters, increasingly dissatisfied with the drift of President Trump. since his return to the White Housemore concerned with external issues than internal problems.

In February 2025, 75% of Republicans or supporters stated that the president had the necessary mental capacity for the office; By January, that percentage had dropped to 66%.

In parallel, the proportion of Republicans who consider that they act ethically in the performance of their duties fell from 55% to 42% in the same period, in a context marked by tariffs and various diplomatic conflicts with other countries.

Last week, the US Supreme Court deactivated Trump’s plan to apply widespread tariffs to third countries in order to prop up US industry.

The latest move by the Donald Trump Administration on trade matters has collided head-on with the courts. Justice has dealt a severe setback to its tariff policy, questioning the legal basis with which the White House justified this tax change.

Nevertheless, The United States Constitution is clear: the power to set tariffs belongs to Congress, not the presidentso the Court, with a Republican majority, has considered that the American president exceeded his powers.

The decision has not sat well with the Executive, with Trump threatening this Monday toon raising tariffs to the countries that decide to “play” with the setback of the Supreme Court that invalidated last Friday the taxes declared by the president under emergency powers.

In response to the court ruling, Donald Trump announced the imposition of a global tariff of 10%, which he later raised to 15%, relying on a new legal reserve and again without the explicit support of Congress.

The maneuver represents a new institutional pulse and demonstrates the president’s determination to maintain his protectionist agenda despite the setback of the Supreme Court.

The measure has generated concern among the United States’ main trading partners. Both the European Union and China are trying to obtain clarity on the scope of these new taxes and on the legal certainty of the current trade agreements with Washington.

Uncertainty threatens to reopen tensions at a particularly delicate time for the global economy, in a context in which American citizens are increasingly concerned about finding quality employment.