American presidents almost always get a “honeymoon” following their inauguration. Marked by approval ratings above 50 percent and often exceeding 60 percent, the honeymoon is an opportune time to set an economic and foreign policy agenda and work with Congress to pass legislation. This “era of good feelings” tends to wane within six to 12 months.
In his first term, Donald Trump became the only president never to have a true honeymoon. He began his second term with approval ratings above 50 percent, but in less than three months he is again underwater in virtually all the high-quality surveys.
In a poll conducted by the Wall Street Journal, 52 percent of respondents disapproved of his handling of the economy — usually his strong suit — up 12 points since October 2024. Even before “Liberation Day” and the huge stock market plunge, only 42 percent gave his tariff policies a thumbs up. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that only 36 percent of Americans think the administration and so-called Department of Government Efficiency are doing a competent job in reducing the number of federal employees.
Trump’s honeymoon, such as it was, is over. And critics of his policies have become more aroused, active, visible and vocal.
In February, videos of town hall meetings in conservative congressional districts in Wisconsin and Georgia dominated by angry protestors went viral. When the phenomenon began to spread, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) — who knows that similar “revolts” in 2009 and 2017 were followed by a powerful backlash against the party in power in the ensuing midterm elections — told his colleagues to stop scheduling such meetings: “Why would we give them a forum to do that right now?”
Those who went ahead anyway had a hard time reassuring their constituents. Questioned about DOGE’s firing of military veterans, Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) replied, “No pain, no gain.” Rep. Steve Womack (R-Wyo.) told federal workers who lost their jobs, “Just be patient.”
Democratic counter-programmers, including Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.), the former candidate for vice president, have attracted enthusiastic crowds during appearances in red and purple states. Anti-administration advocacy organizations have encouraged voters to call the offices of Republican politicians to demand a reinstatement of town halls — and scheduled their own “empty chair” meetings.
By the end of March, 60 percent of Americans expressed an unfavorable view of Elon Musk and over 200 “Tesla Takedown” protests, the vast majority of them peaceful, had taken place throughout the U.S. “This is a way to say we’re not afraid,” said one demonstrator. “They can pretend they can do whatever they want,” declared another, “but they can’t have power unless we let them.”
On April 1, Susan Crawford was elected as justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court by a whopping 10 points, defeating Brad Schimel, who had been endorsed by Trump and Musk (the latter spent $20 million on the race and handed out two $1 million checks to voters). The turnout was higher in every county of the state than it had been in the previous Supreme Court election. In Florida, Republicans prevailed in two special congressional elections in deep red districts, but the winning margin was half what it had been in 2024.
On April 2, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) concluded the longest speech — 25 hours and 5 minutes — ever delivered on the floor of the U.S. Senate. Booker shared the stories of over 200 Americans about the damaging effect Trump administration policies has already had on their lives. Acknowledging the “terrible mistakes” that resulted in Trump’s election, Booker declared, “I confess we must all look in the mirror and say, ‘we will do better.’” At least 300,000 people watched the speech online, and TikTok and other social media recorded 350 million “likes.”
On April 5, in 1,300 locations in all 50 states, hundreds of thousands of people participated in “Hands Off!” rallies. They supported public education, federal health care services, abortion rights, and free and fair education. They opposed ill-considered and inflationary tariff wars, indiscriminate firing of public servants, dismantling of federal agencies, cuts in safety-net programs, deportation of individuals without due process of law and the dismantling of environmental regulations. A retired teacher from Naperville, Illinois was not alone in acknowledging that she was “disgusted and sad we have to do this.”
Meanwhile, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was opining that Trump’s tariff gamble could be “the single biggest determinant” of the 2026 midterms. Cruz added that a recession, “politically, would be a bloodbath.” Asked by the co-host of his podcast how worried he was on a scale from 1 to 10, Cruz replied, “42.”
On April 9, Trump reversed course and ordered a 90-day pause on his “Liberation Day” reciprocal tariffs on all countries other than China. Nonetheless, stock and bond markets, which do not like uncertainty, remain volatile.
For further post-honeymoon news, Americans should keep their eyes on Cruz and other skittish Republican politicians.
Glenn C. Altschuler is the Thomas and Dorothy Litwin Emeritus Professor of American Studies at Cornell University.