Republicans do not abandon their leaders easily. But one year into Donald J. Trump’s second term, something is shifting. Quietly at first, and now more clearly, cracks are forming inside his own party.
New national polling shows that Republican support for Trump is slipping, not collapsing overnight, but weakening in ways that matter. And for a president who has built his power on party loyalty, even small losses add up.
The White House says there is nothing to see here. In a statement to Newsweek, a spokesperson insisted that Trump’s policies still enjoy majority support and dismissed negative surveys as unreliable. Trump himself went further, attacking what he called “fake and fraudulent polling” and claiming his numbers are the highest they have ever been.
But the data tells a different story.
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According to the Pew Research Center, Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are becoming less comfortable with Trump’s leadership, his behavior in office, and the idea that GOP lawmakers must automatically fall in line behind him.
This is not coming from a fringe source. Pew is one of the most trusted research institutions in the country, and its latest survey included more than 8,500 adults across the United States. The margin of error was tight, and the response rate was unusually high.
The results point to erosion inside Trump’s own base.
Only 56% of Republicans now say they support all or most of Trump’s policies. Just one year ago, that number stood at 67%. The drop did not come from Democrats or independents. It came entirely from Republicans.
Support for Trump’s personal conduct has also taken a hit. The share of Republicans who believe he acts ethically in office fell from 55% to 42%. Confidence in his respect for democratic values dropped as well. Even his mental fitness, once a strong point among GOP voters, has declined.
Perhaps the most telling shift involves loyalty.
When asked whether Republican members of Congress are obligated to support Trump simply because he is a Republican president, a clear majority now says no. That number has grown since last year.
This is not a rebellion. But it is resistance.
For a president who demands total allegiance and treats dissent as betrayal, this shift is telling. It shows Republican voters are starting to give themselves space to question Trump, even if they still plan to vote for him.
Overall approval of Trump sits at 37%, down from the fall. That is not just low. It shows how hard it remains for him to grow beyond his core supporters.
Trump’s allies argue the base is still solid. On Newsmax, Republican pollster Patrick Allocco claimed that nearly all Republicans who voted for Trump in 2024 remain with him today. He also argued that mainstream surveys fail to capture Trump’s true strength.
The White House has echoed that message, pointing to friendlier polls that show modest improvements in views of the economy and national direction.
But even those numbers are far from reassuring. Fewer than 4 in 10 voters say the country is on the right track. Confidence in the economy remains weak. And Allocco himself admitted that Trump’s team is struggling with women voters, especially those between the ages of 21 and 44.
Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery
