President Donald Trump’s approval rating continues to fall in North Carolina

Good morning! It’s Danielle Battaglia with the latest edition of Under the Dome focused on the Trump administration.

President Donald Trump’s approval rating continues to drop in North Carolina, according to a new poll from Elon University.

The university polled 928 adults in North Carolina between March 13 and March 20, on topics ranging from Trump’s approval rating to the economy and the war in Iran.

My colleague Kyle Ingram wrote about some of the poll results earlier this week, but I’ll drill into the specifics of Trump’s approval rating, which is now down to 35% in the state.

Of those polled, 55% told Elon that they were dissatisfied with Trump’s performance as president. When asked a year earlier, 42% of North Carolinians polled were satisfied and 45% were dissatisfied.

Since 2016, Trump has enjoyed support from a plurality of North Carolina voters. He won the state all three times he ran. He last faced off against Vice President Kamala Harris, winning 51% of the vote.

It’s hard to ascertain from a poll exactly why his favorability is falling, but North Carolinians weren’t happy with the economy, tariffs and the war in Iran in their poll answers.

The economy and tariffs

Fifty-five percent of those polled said the national economy has gotten worse since Trump took office. Another 25% thought the economy stayed the same, while 20% thought it had improved.

The poll dug deeper, asking people to assign a letter grade to the national economy, and 47% ranked it a D or F.

Another 20% gave the economy an A or B.

When it came to tariffs, 53% said they were impacted negatively, which is up from the 46% who felt that way in September. Only 12% thought tariffs had a positive effect.

Iran war

Those polled also objected to the military action in Iran at 51%.

On Feb. 28, Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched airstrikes against Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Trump has given various reasons for the war, from regime change to getting rid of the country’s nuclear weapons, although he has also walked back some of his reasons.

The poll found 62% oppose sending a large number of ground troops to the country. And 52% believe Trump has gone too far in his use of military force in his second term.

Forty-four percent said they believe the war in Iran will make them less safe in the coming year.

As for congressional approval, 58% believe Trump should have sought permission before launching the Iran war and attacking Venezuela.

Congressional disapproval

Speaking of Congress, Elon University found that 64% of North Carolinians disapprove of the job they’re doing. Only 11% approved.

On Feb. 14, the Department of Homeland Security was shut down because members of Congress could not agree on the agency’s funding. Democrats and Republicans are arguing over how to rein in Immigration and Customs Enforcement following the deaths of U.S. citizens Renée Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.

Elon polled North Carolinians about their impression of ICE and 52% said it was negative.

The dispute between the two parties snarled travel plans for Americans across the country as Transportation Security Administration agents call out of work because they hadn’t been paid.

Last Wednesday, both chambers reached an agreement to reopen DHS, and the Senate moved the legislation forward, early Thursday morning, under unanimous consent. But when the bill reached the House, leadership refused to take it up.

Reporting by Punchbowl indicates that this could push an agreement to reopen DHS by weeks to months.

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That’s it for now. Thanks for reading and supporting local journalism.

Be kind to each other. If you have any feedback or tips for this edition of the newsletter, feel free to reach out to me directly at dbattaglia@mcclatchydc.com.

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This story was originally published April 6, 2026 at 5:00 AM.

Danielle Battaglia

McClatchy DC

Danielle Battaglia is the congressional impact reporter for The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer, leading coverage of the impact of North Carolina’s congressional delegation and the White House. Her career has spanned three North Carolina newsrooms where she has covered crime, courts and local, state and national politics. She has won two McClatchy President’s awards and numerous national and state awards for her work.