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More Than 7 in 10 American Jews Disapprove of Trump’s Performance Thus Far, Poll Says
US President Donald Trump waves as he walks before departing for Florida from the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, DC, US, March 28, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
An overwhelming majority of American Jews disapprove of US President Donald Trump’s job performance thus far, including his efforts to combat antisemitism, according to a new poll.
The survey — conducted by the Mellman Group and published by the Jewish Electorate Institute — found that, among American Jews, 72 percent disapprove and 24 percent approve of Trump’s performance. Moreover, 67 percent of Jews indicated that they “strongly disapprove” of the president’s performance, compared to only 16 percent who “strongly approve” of the job Trump has done thus far.
“American Jewish voters are deeply distressed about the direction in which Donald Trump is taking the country and oppose many of his key policies,” Mark Mellman, a Jewish Democratic pollster who founded the Mellman Group, said in a statement.
A majority of Jews, 56 percent, expressed disapproval with how the president is combating antisemitism. Comparatively, 31 percent indicated approval of how Trump has handled anti-Jewish hatred thus far. More precisely, 49 percent of respondents indicated they “strongly disapprove” and 24 percent claimed they “strongly approve” of Trump’s approach to antisemitism.
During the 2024 US presidential election, as part of a broader effort to entice Jewish voters, Trump vowed to aggressively crack down on antisemitic incidents, which have spiked across the country in the 18 months following the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel, according to data compiled by both federal government agencies and advocacy organizations.
However, according to the poll, Jewish denominations are heavily divided on the White House’s approach to antisemitism, with a majority of Orthodox Jews supporting the Trump administration’s attempts to tackle anti-Jewish hatred. Conversely, most Reform and unaffiliated respondents indicated disapproval of the White House efforts to punish antisemitic conduct.
Moreover, the poll reveals overwhelming disapproval of the Trump administration’s executive orders empowering federal agencies to deport immigrants without a legal hearing. Approximately 71 percent of Jews “oppose” and 23 percent “support” the executive order.
Since returning to the White House, the Trump administration has detained several non-citizen anti-Israel activists on university campuses for participating in often destructive demonstrations while allegedly supporting Hamas, the US-designated terrorist organization that has ruled Gaza since 2007. Some of these arrests, particularly of Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil, have sparked significant backlash, with critics accusing the White House of undermining free speech rights.
However, about two-thirds of the American people support the deportation of non-citizen students, such as Khalil, who indicate support for internationally recognized terrorist groups, according to a Harvard CAPS/Harris poll from March.
Martin Frost, a former congressman and chairman emeritus of the Jewish Electorate Institute, said the Trump administration should consider the poll a warning.
“This poll makes it clear that President Trump’s executive actions – across the board – are wholly rejected by American Jewish voters,” Frost said in a statement. “The president should not ignore these results, including on his handling of antisemitism, as they reflect significant political risks for both him and his party in upcoming elections.”
American Jews are a traditionally Democratic-leaning voting bloc who have consistently supported the Democratic presidential nominee over the Republican nominee by wide margins.
The post More Than 7 in 10 American Jews Disapprove of Trump’s Performance Thus Far, Poll Says first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.