Recent polling suggests that public opinion of the U.S. president has shifted sharply during the first year of his second term in office.
Now 79, Donald Trump returned to the White House just over a year ago after defeating Kamala Harris in a fiercely contested and highly controversial 2024 election. Backed by more than 80 million votes, Trump re-entered 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in early 2025 pledging to revive the economy, end overseas conflicts, and crack down on illegal immigration.
Instead, his first year back in power has been marked by rising tensions with NATO allies, persistent inflation, and—most controversially—the deaths of American citizens during encounters with immigration enforcement officers.
Outrage intensified following the killing of Minneapolis nurse Alex Pretti, who was shot by ICE agents over the weekend while recording an altercation between officers and local residents. Pretti, 37, was legally carrying a firearm but had not drawn or threatened anyone, as video footage later confirmed.
After one agent confiscated his weapon, another officer fired multiple shots, killing him in the street. The incident came shortly after the death of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother who was also shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, further inflaming tensions nationwide.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) again claimed agents acted in self-defense, but protests have spread as more Americans question enforcement tactics that have resulted in civilian deaths. Even some Republicans have demanded answers, including Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas and Senators Thom Tillis, Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski.
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