Six months into Donald Trump’s second presidency, the political tea leaves are muddled. Voters disapprove of the job he is doing, dislike his new budget law, and doubt his dealings with Iran are making the U.S. safer. At the same time, ratings of the economy show signs of improvement, feelings on the direction of the country are inching upward, and the president’s job approval ratings are holding steady, according to a new Fox News national survey.Thirty-two percent of voters rate economic conditions positively. That’s the highest number, by one percentage point, in about a year. On a personal level, 44% rate their financial situation positively, up from 39% in March and 38% in December. Majorities continue to give the economy (67%) and their family finances (56%) negative ratings. FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS THINK IRAN POSES A REAL THREAT TO US SECURITY, BUT SPLIT ON ISRAEL'S STRIKES While 71% say inflation caused them financial hardship in the last six months, that is the lowest number since 2021 – and down from a high of 78% in 2022. The hardship is widespread, as large shares of Democrats (79%), independents (74%), and Republicans (62%) say they feel it, as do those with yearly income both below $50,000 (81%) and $50,000 and higher (64%).Overall, 56% are dissatisfied with the direction the country is taking. The silver lining is that’s an improvement: 68% were dissatisfied at the end of last year, and it was 66% last summer. On the other hand, 44% are happy with the way things are going. As is typical for the incumbent president’s party, Republicans (77%) are much more likely than Democrats (15%) and independents (32%) to feel pleased.The president calls the budget legislation he recently signed into law "The One Big Beautiful Bill," but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. More disapprove (58%) than approve (39%) by 19 percentage points, and more than twice as many think the law will hurt rather than help their family. FOX NEWS POLL: ECONOMIC PESSIMISM ABATES SLIGHTLY AS VOTERS REFLECT ON THE ECONOMY Opposition to the budget comes from a large majority of Democrats (89%), most independents (70%), and one in five Republicans (21%). Significant shares of Trump’s base also oppose the bill, including 52% of rural voters, 46% of White men without a college degree, and 37% of White evangelical Christians.Topping the list of things in the law that voters dislike is increasing the debt ceiling (74%), as three-quarters disapprove. More than half also disapprove of reducing food stamp funding (65%), making tax cuts permanent for those with higher incomes (64%), increasing spending for immigrant detention centers (59%) and the border wall (55%), ending wind and solar tax credits (58%), and increasing work requirements for Medicaid (53%).Popular elements include removing taxes on tips (70% approve), making tax cuts permanent for those with yearly income of less than $250,000 (68%), and increasing military spending (61%).The survey reveals the greatest ideological agreement is on ending taxes on tips and making tax cuts to lower-income individuals permanent, as majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and independents approve -- as well as on increasing the debt limit, as majorities of each disapprove. Big picture: what message do voters want to give to the government? More than half, 52%, would say "lend me a hand." Forty-five percent would ask Washington to "leave me alone."The number of Democrats who would ask Uncle Sam to "lend me a hand" has declined 10 points compared to a year ago and stands at 58%. The opposite is true among Republicans, as a record high 48% would ask for a hand, up 16 points since 2024."This is Trump’s signature piece of legislation, and it is emblematic of why it’s so hard for any Congress, but especially a Republican Congress, to get anything done these days," says Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who conducts Fox News surveys with Democrat Chris Anderson. "Many elements of the OBBB are popular, yet any spending cuts or anything that can be characterized as tax cuts for the rich craters support with Democrats and independents."Currently, 46% of voters approve of Trump’s performance, while 54% disapprove. That’s exactly where things stood last month, and better than at this point 8 years ago when 41% approved. Since last month, his approval mostly held firm with his strongest backers: it is up one point among Republicans (88%), down one point among 2024 Trump voters (90%), and down two points among MAGA supporters (96%).Trump gets his best marks on handling border security: 56% approve vs. 44% disapprove. Voters are more disapproving of the job he is doing on other top issues such as immigration (48% approve, 51% disapprove), foreign policy (45-54%), the economy (44-55%), and inflation and tariffs (36-62% on both). On foreign policy, attitudes on the U.S. decision to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities are mixed. Voters are split over whether they approve or disapprove of launching the strikes (47% vs. 50%) and whether the strikes were mostly successful or mostly a failure (31% vs. 27%). The highest share, 42%, think it’s too soon to say.Bottom line, 43% think Trump’s dealings with Iran have made the U.S. less safe, which is 15 points higher than the 28% who say the country is safer.The survey finds 38% want the U.S. to do more for Ukraine, a 15-point jump since last fall, with increases among Democrats (+22 points), independents (+14), and Republicans (+9).By a 23-point margin, more voters think Russian President Vladimir Putin (58%) has the upper hand in the situation in Ukraine than Trump (35%). Republicans are more likely to say Trump (by 19 points), while Democrats (by 62 points) and independents (by 25 points) say Putin.Only 13% think the government has been open and transparent about the Jeffrey Epstein case, while more than five times as many, 67%, disagree – including 60% of Republicans and 56% of MAGA supporters. One voter in five says they haven’t been following the case. A majority, 62%, don’t think former President Joe Biden was particularly involved in making important decisions during the final year of his presidency, yet views are divided over investigating Biden’s advisors for using an autopen to sign documents without his awareness. Fifty-one percent say investigate and 47% say it is time to move on. Among Democrats, 41% think Biden wasn’t that involved in decisions and 30% support looking into the autopen.Forty-six percent of voters approve of the job Trump is doing as president. Why do they approve? The survey asks voters to explain in their own words what’s behind their approval (or disapproval). Most were able to give specific answers, detailed below.The main reasons for approving of Trump’s job performance are he’s "getting things done" (18%), "keeping his promises" (14%), "helping the economy" (13%), immigration/border security (13%), and "putting America first" (12%).For those who disapprove, the top reasons are "the economy/tariffs" (14%), "doesn’t have the temperament" (13%), "not following the Constitution" (10%), "separating families"/immigration (8%), "he favors the rich" (7%), generally disliking what he’s doing (7%), and "too many government cuts" (6%). Only 1% mention "Jeffrey Epstein case," and all of that comes from Democrats and independents. A comparison with responses from when the same question was asked during Trump’s first term provides insight into how his second term differs. In 2018, far more of those who approved of Trump’s job performance cited that he was helping the economy (24% vs. 13% today). Among those who disapproved, many more were likely to mention personal characteristics and only small numbers mentioned immigration (4%) and the economy (3%).CLICK HERE FOR CROSSTABS AND TOPLINEConducted July 18-21, 2025, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,000 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (114) and cellphones (636) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (250). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis, and voter file data.Fox News’ Victoria Balara contributed to this report.