In Macomb County, Michigan, where President Trump is scheduled Tuesday to hold the first rally of his second presidential term, Republicans are in awe of the actions he’s taken in a little more than three months to stop illegal immigration, cut government spending, claw back regulations and implement a host of other policies through a flurry of executive orders.
Macomb is the most heavily Republican county in the critical swing state that helped carry Mr. Trump to victory in November. A warm welcome for Mr. Trump is expected from residents thrilled with his rapid-fire pace of fulfilling the promises he made in the 2024 campaign.
“When he was inaugurated, he didn’t go back to the Oval Office and sit behind that resolute desk and try to think about what to do. He had this planned out, because he hit the ground running like something none of us really anticipated,” Mark Forton, former chairman of the Macomb County GOP, said.
Mr. Trump’s first 100 days have given others in the party a serious case of heartburn, particularly his trade policy and decision to implement across-the-board tariffs that sent the stock market into a free-fall and now threaten to sink the economy into a recession.
“There are businesses that will go bankrupt because of this,” said Sen. Ron Johnson, Wisconsin Republican and former plastics manufacturer.
Mr. Johnson, a free-trade advocate, is otherwise pretty thrilled with Mr. Trump’s swift actions to cut government waste and secure the border, which were two of the president’s biggest campaign pledges, as well as his executive orders ending liberal progressive policies in government and education.
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Illegal immigrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexican border have dropped 95% since Mr. Trump took office, while the Department of Government Efficiency, created on his first day in office, has shrunk the federal workforce through buyouts and layoffs. According to DOGE officials, the administration is on track to save an estimated $160 billion by cutting wasteful spending, cancelling government contracts and ending leases for government buildings that sit mostly empty.
Mr. Trump pleased conservatives by quickly signing executive orders to end the proliferation of diversity, equity and inclusion programs that had spread throughout government and education. In a widely celebrated move, Mr. Trump banned males from competing in female-only sports in schools and higher education institutions that accept federal funds.
“I couldn’t be happier with how bold and decisive and swift he’s been acting to fulfill the promises,” Mr. Johnson said. “I couldn’t be happier with the border, DOGE, anti-wokisim, those types of things. My concern is the trade war.”
Mr. Johnson’s uneasiness with the president’s trade policies is echoed by lawmakers in both parties and reflected in polls that show discontent.
A Fox News poll released on April 23 found Mr. Trump’s approval rating had sunk to 44%, dragged down in part by his handling of tariffs and the economy. Only 33% of registered voters approved of the president’s tariff policy, while a slightly higher but dismal 38% were happy with his handling of the economy and taxes.
Among Republicans, 72% approved of his job performance, but among independents, the president’s approval rating was a meager 23%. Only 9% of Democrats felt positive about the president’s first three months in office.
Mr. Trump said he’s negotiating hundreds of trade deals with countries that for decades imposed higher levies and trade barriers that put U.S. exports at a significant disadvantage. One of Mr. Trump’s primary goals is to force China to end unfair trade practices that have harmed the U.S. and endangered national security for decades, but that has yet to occur. The president has instead escalated a trade war with China that led to a 145% tariff on all Chinese imported goods.
Amid a 30-day pause on reciprocal tariffs with other U.S. trading partners, the administration has failed to announce a single new trade deal with any country while leaving in place a new, across-the-board 10% levy on many imported goods and an increased tariff on steel and aluminum.
The uncertainty about future tariffs, and when Mr. Trump might strike a deal and end or reduce the hiked tariffs, has led to wild swings on Wall Street and warnings that if the tariff scheme is fully implemented and left in place, it will dramatically slow long-term economic growth and lead to a recession.
In Nevada, a swing state Mr. Trump won by 3%, the tariffs are hurting small businesses, which make up most of the state’s economy, said Bruce Parks, the GOP chairman in Washoe County, which includes Reno.
But Reno Republicans are behind Mr. Trump.
“I know a lot of businesses here in the area, especially small businesses, are being impacted by the tariffs a little bit,” Mr. Parks said. “But they also understand that for years and years and years, we have been unfairly taken advantage of, and it’s about time somebody stood up and said, ‘No more.’ They are aware that, in the long run, this can only have a positive impact on their businesses.”
The existing tariffs are bringing in up to $305 million per day in federal revenue. They have also prompted several manufacturers to make plans to open new U.S. plants or add production to existing plants to avoid tariffs, fulfilling the president’s goal of bringing billions of dollars in investments to the U.S. while creating thousands of jobs.
Atlanta-based pollster Matt Towery said Mr. Trump’s numbers are rosier than they appear in some surveys. Pollsters who most accurately predicted the outcome of the last three presidential elections show higher satisfaction, he said.
Among them, Rasmussen Reports showed Mr. Trump with a 47% voter approval rating in its daily tracking poll on April 25, down from 52% on April 21.
“I don’t believe so-called chaos related to the tariffs is having as big of an impact with voters as it is with the media and Wall Street,” Mr. Towery said. “Yes, his numbers have come down a bit, but in a polarized country, they are much higher than I would have expected.”
In different polls, DOGE and its leader, tech billionaire Elon Musk, get mixed reviews from voters on efforts to shrink the size and cost of government.
Democrats are eyeing a 2026 midterm election backlash against Mr. Trump that could help them recapture Congress. They have helped stoke fear and disapproval of the president’s fast-paced policy changes and spending cuts, repeatedly claiming the administration’s sledgehammer approach will harm entitlement benefits.
“How can Americans have confidence when the prospect of trade wars sends stock markets plunging and Trump lets billionaires like Elon Musk take a chainsaw to people’s benefits? Americans look at this chaos and they are worried,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, said.
Mr. Trump is also facing pushback from the judicial system, which has issued dozens of injunctions and temporary restraining orders that have prevented the administration from fully carrying out deportations, efforts to downsize the government and removal of DEI policies.
Congressional Republicans are looking at legislation to clear a path for the president’s agenda. Sen. Chuck Grassley, Iowa Republican and Trump ally, introduced a bill that would clarify judicial power and curb the district court’s “growing tendency to overstep by issuing sweeping, nationwide orders.”
When Mr. Trump first launched his reelection bid in 2023, he was quickly buoyed by the GOP voters in Iowa, who propelled him to an early, decisive win over a competitive Republican primary field. Iowa Republicans lined up behind Mr. Trump, they said at the time, because he kept his promises during his first term in office, and they felt confident he would do it again.
So far, Republicans in the Hawkeye State aren’t disappointed, said Brad Boustead, a leader in the Westside Conservative Club in Urbandale, Iowa.
“During the campaign, he says what he’ll do. When elected, he does what he said.”
