A new poll from the University of New Hampshire found Maine split starkly over the presidency of Donald Trump and the international tariffs he has imposed. And while Maine is home to a large number of independent voters, very few of respondents were unsure of where they stood.
The poll of 911 Mainers conducted between April 17 and April 21 found Republicans nearly unanimous in their approval of Donald Trump’s job performance while nearly all Democrats disapproved. Among independents, the president had a 39 percent approval rating.
Overall, 42 percent of respondents approve of Trump’s handling of the job, versus 57 percent who disapprove and 1 percent who are unsure. Approval for his handling of the economy was slightly better with 44 percent approving, 54 percent disapproving and 2 percent unsure.
A majority of respondents expect trade tariffs to raise prices (86 percent) and harm the national economy (56 percent), but Republicans have warmed to them and expect that prices will rise only slightly and the tariffs will benefit the economy overall.
Two-thirds (67 percent) of respondents believe a recession is very likely (37 percent) or somewhat (21 percent) likely within the next year.
On immigration, nearly all Republican respondents supported Trump’s actions while nearly all Democrats were opposed.
Almost 60 percent of respondents said the country is on the wrong track. But among those who said it’s headed in the right direction, immigration was the top reason for their optimism.
