More and more Americans dissatisfied with Donald Trump's rule

(Patria) - More and more Americans believe the US is heading in the wrong direction under President Donald Trump, new public opinion polls show.

Dissatisfaction is not only present among Democrats and independents, but is also increasingly appearing among the Republican base, Newsweek reports.

A Verasight poll from September showed that only 28 percent of American adults believe the country is going in the "right direction," while 60 percent believe it is going in the "wrong direction."

Another 12 percent of respondents said they were unsure. In August, the ratio was 33 to 57 percent.

Gallup records the same trend - only 29 percent of citizens are satisfied with the state of the country, the lowest level since Trump took office in January.

During the summer, satisfaction ranged between 31 and 33 percent, and in May it peaked at 38 percent.

Although optimism among Republicans was on the rise after Trump's inauguration, the latest results show that confidence in their own party is beginning to wane.

Gallup's survey records the largest decline precisely among Republicans: satisfaction fell to 68 percent in September, while in August it stood at 76 percent. Among independent voters, it remains at 23 percent, and among Democrats at only 1 percent.

AP-NORC reports that the share of Republicans who believe the country is heading in the wrong direction jumped from 29 percent in June to 51 percent in September. Among younger Republicans, under 45, that number rose by 30 percentage points - to 61 percent.

Some analysts link this rise in dissatisfaction to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on September 10, an event that appears to have shaken Republicans and heightened doubts about the country's stability.

According to a Quinnipiac poll, as many as 79 percent of voters believe the US is in a political crisis. That is the view of 93 percent of Democrats, 84 percent of independents, and 60 percent of Republicans.

Gallup shows that after the assassination, the number of Americans who see crime and violence as the country's main problem rose sharply - from 3 percent in August to 8 percent in September, the highest in the last five years.

Concern about national unity also doubled, from 5 to 10 percent, the highest since the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

A YouGov survey reveals that 59 percent of Americans consider political violence a "very big problem." That is the view of 58 percent of Democrats, 54 percent of independents, and 67 percent of Republicans.

Republicans reacted to Kirk's murder almost unanimously - with outrage and grief. Trump called his death a "dark moment for America," described him as an "exceptional person," and posthumously awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

At a commemoration in Arizona, he declared him a "martyr for American freedom" and blamed the "radical left" for creating a climate of hostility that led to the shooting.

Senate leader John Thune and Senator Mike Lee highlighted Kirk's influence on the conservative movement and warned of an increasingly dangerous political climate. Vice President JD Vance said the murder must be seen as part of a broader cultural struggle.

Peter Loge, director of the Project on Ethics in Political Communication at George Washington University, told Newsweek that it is precisely such rhetoric that fuels a sense of dissatisfaction among citizens.

- One of the reasons so many voters think the country is heading in the wrong direction is that the president keeps telling them everything is bad.

The loudest conservative voices repeat that America is broken and that everyone who disagrees with them is an enemy. No wonder even Republicans are starting to think nothing works.

Most voters want things to work. If they conclude they don't work, they replace those in power. If the president and his allies say nothing is working properly, voters might believe it and send Republicans home at the elections - Loge said.

Analyst Matt McDermott issues a similar warning.

- The results are a serious warning for Trump. Even within his base, unease is growing about the direction of the country - not just because of the economy, but also because of political violence and instability. That is not what voters, even those who supported him, expected - McDermott said.