The three key words defining Trump's second term and illuminating America's divide

By NIKKI SCHWAB, CHIEF CAMPAIGN CORRESPONDENT Published: 21:46, 17 April 2026 | Updated: 21:47, 17 April 2026 The difference in how Republicans and Democrats describe President Donald Trump showcases the stunning political divide as Americans sum up his second term.  In the latest Daily Mail/JL Partners poll, pollsters asked registered voters to describe Trump using one word.  Among all respondents, the top words were 'strong' and 'bad.'  Republicans, not surprisingly, were behind the choice of 'strong.'  Members of the President's party also described him as 'patriotic,' 'smart,' and 'awesome.'  Though it wasn't all good news, with a sampling of Republicans also labeling Trump 'arrogant' and 'bad.'  Democrats' favorite word to describe Trump was 'evil,' followed by 'bad' and 'terrible.'  Independents' top choice was 'narcissistic.'  Republicans and Democrats describe President Donald Trump, photographed Thursday night in Las Vegas, very differently, according to a new Daily Mail/JL Partners poll  Republicans most described President Donald Trump as 'strong,' while Democrats said the Republican President was 'evil.' Independents, a powerful swing voting bloc, chose 'narcissistic' as their top word The important swing voting bloc also labeled Trump 'liar,' 'bad,' 'egotistical,' 'idiot,' 'arrogant' and 'crazy.'  Polling was conducted April 14 and 15.  The survey found that Trump's approval rating remained at 43 percent - the same result he received the week before. It's one point up from his all-time low, 42 percent, which he received shortly after the start of the Iran war.  His approval rating ticked up to 46 percent in late March once he began floating that there could be a peace deal.  But with a full peace deal not fully worked out, his approval remains lower-than-average but stable.  About a third of those who disapprove of Trump cite his handling of the Middle East, but a bigger group of voters object to his handling of inflation, immigration enforcement and his overall demeanor.     Still, 61 percent of voters said they already viewed Trump negatively or they view him more negatively as of late.   Among all poll respondents, the top words to describe President Donald Trump included 'strong,' 'bad,' 'arrogant,' 'narcissist' and 'crazy'  And the word 'war' was most commonly used, when voters were asked what changed their view.  Forty-four percent said their view of the President has become more negative recently.    Trump's polling problems appear to extend to his party, with 53 percent of voters saying they'd select a Democratic candidate as the midterms approach, compared to the 42 percent who answered a Republican.  The President is currently on a two-day trip through the swing states of Nevada and Arizona in an attempt to bolster Republicans' economic message ahead of the November elections.   Overall, 1,013 registered voters were surveyed, giving the poll a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percent.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.