Donald Trump’s Approval Rating Double-Digits Above Water on Key Issue—Poll

More than half of Americans support President Donald Trump’s handling of transgender issues, a new Associated Press-NORC poll shows, surpassing his overall job approval rating. Trump has implemented policies restricting rights for transgender individuals since returning to office, such as banning openly transgender people from military service and prohibiting transgender women from competing in women’s sports. Despite recent drops in approval ratings due to tariff policy concerns, Trump seems to be regaining popularity and control over the political narrative.

An AP-NORC poll conducted from May 1 to 5 found that 52% of Americans approve of Trump’s approach to transgender issues, higher than his 41% overall job approval rating. Support varies among political affiliations, with 19% of Democrats, 48% of independents, and 90% of Republicans approving. Despite transgender individuals constituting less than 1% of the population, Trump’s administration has been actively pursuing policy changes, especially in sports participation. Moreover, the majority of Americans agree with Trump’s view that a person’s sex is determined by biological characteristics at birth.

Efforts to remove transgender individuals from military service have faced less approval, with 40% supporting transgender troops’ inclusion. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed the Pentagon to begin discharging transgender service members who do not voluntarily leave by June 6. While Trump’s approval ratings have seen fluctuations, he continues to have a higher disapproval rating, despite having won the popular vote in 2024.