President faces backlash from both left and right on immigration, economy

Student approval of President Trump at Notre Dame has drastically dropped since the November election, a new Irish Rover poll found. The declining support for the president among student voters centered on concerns over the economy and immigration enforcement.

Of the 322 students surveyed, 69 percent reported unfavorable opinions of Trump, with a vast majority of this number made up of those who held “very unfavorable” opinions. Just 31 percent reported having a “somewhat” or “very” favorable view of the president, a drop of five percent from the Rover’s poll last September.

The new Rover poll arrives just over a year after a pre-election poll conducted in September of 2024, which found that students supported Trump over Harris by a slim margin of 48 to 46 percent. After this historic conservative shift on Notre Dame’s campus—the first victory for a Republican candidate on campus since 2012—this year’s results reflect a wider shift in conservative views on college campuses nationwide.

Notre Dame’s declining approval of the president follows similar national trends. Gallup polls show Trump’s approval rating beginning at 47 percent in January, dipping to a low of 37 percent in mid July, and standing at 41 percent as of October 1. 

Among the respondents in the Rover poll, 38 percent reported voting for Harris, 31 percent for Trump, and 27 percent reported that they did not vote, either for legal or personal reasons. In a continuation of last year’s trends, a majority of women self-identified as Democrats at 51 percent, compared to only 22 percent of men. Twenty-six percent of women identified as Republicans, compared to 48 percent of men.

The most significant shift on campus was reflected in growing disapproval of Trump since taking office. Nearly 61 percent of respondents reported that they had a “slightly” or “much more” unfavorable opinion of Trump since last year’s election. Only 11 percent reported that their opinions had improved at all, and a sizable 27 percent said their opinions were unchanged. 

Much of the backlash against Trump predictably came from those identifying as Democrats, who overwhelmingly voiced concerns over Trump’s “fascist” leadership tactics. Freshman Ben Place wrote, “I strongly oppose Donald Trump for many reasons, including economic policy and his blatant racism, but what worries me most is his slide into fascism.” Another student said, “I think the current administration is transparently fascist. … I believe that there can [be] no democracy if we don’t root corruption out of politics.”

Student responses were conflicted on the issue of immigration, although 65 percent of students reported unfavorable opinions on the Trump administration’s border and illegal immigration policies. 

Democrats condemned the alleged “dehumanization” and “exploitation” of immigrants. One female student said, “I do not believe this administration is working to protect the dignity of human life for the American people. Instead, I see disrespect and exploitation of the vulnerable, and blatant attempts to dehumanize and divide the nation. This administration’s economic policy works in favor of the wealthy while undercutting support for the vulnerable and the working class.” A male student called the administration “intentionally cruel in terms of immigration policy/ICE raids, the distribution of resources, social issues, etc.”

Another female senior commented, “I find Trump’s blatant dehumanization of the marginalized and disregard for nuanced discourse incredibly concerning. I have never been a Trump supporter, but I’m increasingly concerned for the state of this country under his leadership, as a Catholic and as an American.”

She added, “I’m concerned for the poor and disabled who rely on programs which have been cut or put on hold indefinitely. I’m concerned that our president seems unbothered, perhaps even triumphant that they go without support.”

A large number of student responses, from both Republicans and Democrats, expressed disapproval of Trump’s personal conduct. One student wrote, “He’s better than Biden and I don’t regret voting for him. However, I wish he was more polished and more prudent in his public relations. I understand why he might be belligerent, but I still wish he could be more charitable.”

Others were more harsh: “I think the biggest issue for me is the way [Trump] carries himself. He acts like a child, and is completely disrespectful. Further, I think his actions and the way he talks leads to horrible political polarization.”

The president also faced substantial criticism from the right. Among self-described Republicans, a group that overwhelmingly backed President Trump in the Rover’s 2024 poll, 26 percent now indicated that they had an unfavorable view of Trump. Disapproval of Trump was at an even higher 28 percent among all those who said they had voted for him in 2024, reflecting significant erosion of support for the president within his base. 

Some students were critical of Trump’s foreign policy. A Catholic male who identified as Republican said, “[Trump is largely] America first and he clearly has sacrificed personally for that, but I don’t think America should be pro-Israel or pro-Palestine.” Another Catholic male added,  “I would like to see Trump fully decouple from India and Israel and halt all immigration into the United States of America for the foreseeable future. America first.”

The poll found significant disappointment among conservatives on deportation numbers. One conservative respondent said, “Trump promised to carry out mass deportations, but what we are getting so far is basically Obama numbers.” Another student commented, “My only complaint is that Trump hasn’t deported enough people …  and he hasn’t done enough to stop legal immigration.”

While most students expressed concerns with immigration broadly,  one Catholic female student expressed concern about Indian migration in particular, saying, “We need to reduce immigration, particularly Indian immigration into this country as I simply don’t feel comfortable as a woman with mass-third world migration from countries that don’t respect basic female dignity and personal space.” Another said, “Immigration is the most important political issue because demographics determine the future of our society above all else.” The comments were made after a recent Trump interview on Fox News, in which the president appeared to support an additional 600,000 student visas and the H1-B program.

Trump gained the most favor from students regarding Gaza. Thirty-nine percent approved of his handling of the war in Gaza and the U.S.-brokered ceasefire, which ended the two-year long war that killed tens of thousands. Most unfavorable was student opinion on the budget and government spending, standing at a 28 percent approval rating.

Despite Trump’s weakened standing on campus overall, he maintains some support at Notre Dame. His strongest level of support came among Catholic men, 45 percent of whom still viewed him favorably. One student in this demographic, Chris Dailey, told the Rover, “I think Trump’s second term has been good. He’s ended major wars around the world acting as a peacemaker. He simply gets things done and his foreign relations are great.” 

A female Catholic student said that she thought “the administration is doing a great job, especially considering the state of the country that they were left with.”

Students’ main concern shifted from anxiety about the economy to a concern for abortion. Nearly 22 percent of students said they were most concerned about abortion, with a close second reporting concern about the economy (16 percent). One respondent who identified as Republican said, “Abortion is not a political issue. It is an issue of morality. If you are Catholic, you cannot support abortion.” 

Notably, Trump saw his strongest support among those who said abortion was their top issue, with 53 percent of this demographic viewing him favorably. By contrast, Trump was weakest among those who prioritized democracy, with 98 percent of this group disapproving of him. 

This year’s poll saw a slight increase in the number of Catholic responses, but also reported a larger proportion (37 percent) of Democratic students, up from last year’s 28 percent. Democrats were nearly equally divided with Republicans, while a large subset of the student body (27 percent) identified as “Independents.”

The poll, conducted from November 6 to 16, was sent to student dorms, all political science majors, Democrat and Republican student clubs, and distributed in several classes. The poll has a margin of error of five percent at a 95 percent confidence level. Full results can be found here.

Lucy Spence is a junior from McLean, Virginia majoring in piano performance and the Program of Liberal Studies, with a minor in philosophy. She voted for Brenston in 2024. Reach her at lspence@nd.edu. 

Sam Marchand is a junior studying political science and finance from Beaumont, Texas. He squanders much of his spare time by reading the Current Events section of Wikipedia preparing arguments for ND Speech & Debate, of which he serves as head yapper. He can be reached in Rome or the Baltic states this fall at smarcha3@nd.edu. 

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

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