One in five Americans who voted for President Donald Trump in the 2024 election now regret their vote, a new Navigator Research survey released on Thursday found. That marks the highest number the polling outlet has registered since it began asking the question.
The share of Trump voters who have buyer’s remorse is up 6 percentage points since early February, when it was 14%, according to Navigator's data.
Twenty-three percent of Republicans who describe themselves as "non-MAGA" regret their vote, as do 13% of self-described MAGA Republicans, who should be the most fervent of Trump’s followers.
The increasing share of people who regret backing Trump in 2024 should be a warning sign for the Republican Party, which cannot afford to have a depressed base going into the midterm elections.
Polls show that Democrats lead by around 5 points on the generic ballot, which asks voters which party they'd like to see control Congress. If much of the Republicans base stays home, it would turn what's already projected to be a bad night for the party into a catastrophic one.
Other data shows that Trump regret may be playing a role in the GOP's languishing poll numbers.
Supporters listen to President Donald Trump speak at a campaign rally Ohio in 2024.
Media outlet The Argument found that a growing number of voters who voted for Trump in 2024 are lying to pollsters, saying they either didn't vote that year or voted for Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee. The Argument chalked that up to voters having regrets about Trump.
An ABC News/Washington Post poll found that Democrats' lead in the generic ballot has grown to a whopping 11 points among voters who say they are certain to vote, signaling a massive enthusiasm edge for the party.
Regret about voting for Trump comes as people say he has not made the economy better, which he promised to do on the campaign trail. It also comes as voters say they disapprove of Trump's tariffs, his violent immigration crackdown, and his handling of the government’s files on accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Republicans are privately sounding alarm bells, worrying that Trump's dismal approval rating, among other things, will cost them not only the House but possibly even the Senate.
In fact, Republicans are even worried about losing Texas’ Senate race. In the primary, Democratic turnout is swamping that for Republicans, in a sign that the enthusiasm gap is impacting voter behavior. (One caveat here is that primary turnout doesn't necessarily predict general election outcomes. Still, polling suggests Democrats stand a chance in November based on who wins both the Democratic and Republican primaries on Tuesday.)
Ultimately, Trump is a very unpopular president, and the coalition that propelled him back into the White House is falling apart.
With roughly eight months to go before this year’s midterm elections, nothing he is currently doing is likely to help his party, whether that be declaring the economy in spite of Americans’ struggles, continuing to illegally institute tariffs that Americans hate, or hiding the Epstein files.
November is coming, and it's shaping up to be ugly for Trump and the GOP.
