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The Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas has released a new poll showing that while Trump has high approval ratings on the border, many Democrats and Independents still aren't happy with the Trump economy.
According to the poll, which was conducted on Texans during the month of April, 57% of Republicans strongly approve of Trump overall. Not surprisingly, 81% of Democrats strongly disapprove.
On the economy specifically, Trump's numbers aren't quite as strong. Overall, just 21% of those polled approved strongly of Trump's economy so far, while 37% of those polled disapproved strongly.
Republican National Convention Committeeman and Galveston County Commissioner Dr. Robin Armstrong says that these numbers are actually somewhat in line with expectations, because Trump is playing the economic long game.
According to Dr. Armstrong, "I think he's trying to correct some long-term problems that we've seen over the last few decades, and I hope he gets it sorted out very quickly."
He added that Trump simply needs more time to implement that long-term agenda, and as he starts cutting trade deals and the economy picks up pace, his economic approval will rise. He also said, "Most people are willing to give Trump some leeway, because he's been so fantastic on other issues."
The poll also gave us some hints into the 2026 midterm elections, specifically the race between Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and incumbent U.S. Senator from Texas John Cornyn.
According to the poll, Paxton's current overall job approval (33%) is just five points lower than his overall disapproval (38%). By contrast, Senator Cornyn's overall approval (27%) is significantly lower than his overall disapproval (41%).
Dr. Armstrong says that this is a good sign for Paxton, who will have to face Cornyn in the GOP primaries next March. Armstrong said, "He's become a conservative icon nationally, and in the state of Texas as well. Paxton is generally pretty popular among conservatives and Republicans."
Dr. Armstrong also pointed out that we still have months to go before the primaries, let alone the 2026 general election, so these numbers will likely change quite a bit before ballots begin to be cast.