The first 100 days of President Donald Trump's second term are over – and have left a path of despair and dissatisfaction behind them, based on the results of Covers' latest survey.
We asked 2,000 participants a variety of questions centered around their sentiments of Trump's first three-plus months back in the Oval Office. Here are the highlights (if you want to call them that):
Key Takeaways
- More than half of our respondents say they feel "hopeless" about the rest of Trump's presidency when compared with their feelings prior to the 2024 election
- One in six participants say they're better off with Trump back at the helm, while three in eight say they're worse off
- More than a third of people surveyed are most worried about a recession or economic instability
Hopelessness abounds in Trump's second term
Trump's first 100 days of his second term have been a roller-coaster – and more than half of our survey respondents would like to get off:
Compared to before the 2024 election, how do you now feel about the next four years under Trump?
| Answer | Rate |
|---|---|
| Hopeless | 52.0% |
| Hopeful | 32.6% |
| Same | 15.4% |
Given the tumultuous nature of Trump's first 100 days, it's no surprise that a slight majority of respondents feel hopeless based on where things stand in comparison to the sentiment prior to the 2024 election. Between global tariff controversies, Trump's hard-line stance on deportation, and massive cuts to some of the country's most storied institutions, the majority of Americans have had their lives changed under Trump – in many cases, dramatically so.
That said, we still see a fair number of respondents who are encouraged by the direction in which the country is headed. Nearly one third of participants categorize themselves as "hopeful" through the first 100 days of Trump's return to power. Trump campaigned on many of the aggressive policies he is now enacting – and much of the electorate that handed him a second term support his direction whole-heartedly.
The most staggering number of all might be the 15.4% of participants that say nothing has changed with regard to their feelings toward Trump. In what has become the most polarizing time in history, the fact that nearly one in six people remain unaffected by the events of Trump's first 100 days is really quite something.
Here's a breakdown of responses by state:
Better or worse off under Trump? The party line divide is massive
Times are certainly changing for an overwhelming majority of Americans – but are things getting better or worse? Here's what our survey participants had to say:
Compared to before Trump took office, again how has your personal quality of life changed?
| Answer | Rate |
|---|---|
| Same | 45.3% |
| Worse | 37.5% |
| Better | 17.2% |
Almost two in five Americans surveyed say their lives are worse off now than before Trump returned to the Oval Office. This is consistent with the messaging from the first question, with a considerably larger group of U.S. citizens feeling pessimistic or negative about the direction of the country under Trump.
Conversely, only one in six participants believe their quality of life is better in the early days of Trump's second go-around. And it's clear that we are indeed in the early days, with just under half of respondents saying their quality of life remains the same with Trump at the helm.
More interestingly (and less surprisingly), here's the breakdown among political affiliation, where the difference in perceived quality of life is immense:
Fewer than one in 10 respondents who identify as Republican say their lives are worse off than before the 2024 election, while more than six in 10 Democrat participants say their quality of life has worsened.
We also have the breakdown by state:
Economic instability tops the list of concerns
Regardless of political leaning, it's safe to say that the majority
Here's a look at what respondents are most concerned about over the remainder of Trump's second term:
What do you fear most about the next four years?
Not surprisingly, more than one-third surveyed identify a potential recession or economic turmoil as the top concern for the balance of Trump's time in power. More than one in five suggested that they're most worried about a loss of rights and freedoms, while one in eight pinpointed civil unrest or polarization as the biggest potential issue for the next four years.
Foreign conflict was the only other major concern to garner double-digit support, with just over one in 10 participants identifying it as their No. 1 fear.
Methodology
We surveyed 2,000 U.S.-based respondents in late April 2025.
