After 10 months of Trump, AAPI conservatives second-guessing their choice

Donald Trump lights a candle to commemorate Diwali at the White House.

The so-called shift to the right  by Asian American and Pacific Islander voters  is tilting  leftward after Donald Trump's authoritarian attempts to weaken American institutions have been exposed and his policies have failed to live up to his hype. 

Any inroads the Republicans had gained among AAPI voters in the 2024 elections has all but disappeared, according to recent polls which show a range of favorability ratings for Trump drop among Asian Americans.

As of July 2025, Donald Trump's favorability had declined among Asian American adults, with 71% holding an unfavorable opinion of him. According to an AAPI Data/AP-NORC poll from July, 71% of Asian American adults had an unfavorable view of Trump. This marked an increase from 60% who felt this way after the 2020 election.

Most AAPI adults prioritize the economy, jobs, and inflation, but few approve of how Trump is handling these issues. AAPI support for the administration’s immigration enforcement tactics is also low. 

As the Trump administration intensifies its enforcement of policies targeting illegal immigration, a new AAPI Data/AP-NORC Poll shows growing disapproval among AAPI adults of its approach. More AAPI adults now disapprove of Trump’s handling of immigration than six months ago (71% vs. 58%), and two-thirds say Trump’s deportation policies have gone too far. 

Only about 2 in 10 support targeting neighborhoods with higher immigrant populations, deploying the military or National Guard to carry out arrests and deportations, detaining immigrants at their workplaces, or allowing agents to cover their faces during arrests. Roughly 6 in 10 oppose these tactics. 

While about half of AAPI adults favor deporting immigrants living in the United States illegally who have been charged with misdemeanors, fewer favor deporting all immigrants living in the United States illegally (35%), those who express views that the federal government disagrees with (30%), or those who have lived in the U.S. for more than a decade (24%). 

Foreign-born AAPI adults tend to be older and less Democratic leaning than those who were born in the United States. They are more likely to approve of Trump’s handling of crime (43% vs. 24%) and immigration (33% vs. 22%) and are more in favor of deporting all immigrants who are in the country illegally (39% vs. 28%) and those charged with misdemeanors (56% vs. 41%). 

Key details from the July 2025 AAPI Data/AP-NORC poll include:Declining favorability: 

• The number of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) with an unfavorable view of Trump rose to 71% in July, up from 60% seven months prior.

• AAPI adults are particularly worried about the economy, citing high costs and the fear that new tariff policies will increase expenses. Economic issues appear to be a central factor in the shift in opinion.

• The poll highlighted that AAPI adults who identify as independent have become especially negative toward Trump. About 7 in 10 AAPI independents viewed him unfavorably, a 20 percentage point increase since December.

Factors potentially contributing to shifts in opinion could include economic concerns or views on trade policies.

“Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders widely disapprove of the Trump administration’s handling of immigration, even more so than earlier in this year,” says Karthick Ramakrishnan, executive director of AAPI Data and a researcher at UC Berkeley.

“Most AAPI adults believe that the administration has gone too far on immigration enforcement, and they oppose various tactics that immigration agents have used in large-scale enforcement operations.”

Most AAPI adults prioritize the economy, jobs, and inflation, but few approve of how Trump is handling these issues. AAPI support for the administration’s immigration enforcement tactics is also low.

“On the economy, you saw AAPI voters shift — not in a big way, but shift nonetheless — toward Trump” in the 2024 election, Ramakrishnan tells the Associated Press. “They are not seeing big economic benefits pan out. Quite the contrary, they are seeing big economic risks on the horizon based on Trump’s action on tariffs.

As the Trump administration intensifies its enforcement of policies targeting illegal immigration, a new AAPI Data/AP-NORC Poll shows growing disapproval among AAPI adults of its approach. More AAPI adults now disapprove of Trump’s handling of immigration than six months ago (71% vs. 58%), and two-thirds say Trump’s deportation policies have gone too far. 

Only about 2 in 10 support targeting neighborhoods with higher immigrant populations, deploying the military or National Guard to carry out arrests and deportations, detaining immigrants at their workplaces, or allowing agents to cover their faces during arrests. Roughly 6 in 10 oppose these tactics. 

While about half of AAPI adults favor deporting immigrants living in the United States illegally who have been charged with misdemeanors, fewer favor deporting all immigrants living in the United States illegally (35%), those who express views that the federal government disagrees with (30%), or those who have lived in the U.S. for more than a decade (24%). 

Foreign-born AAPI adults tend to be older and less Democratic leaning than those who were born in the United States. They are more likely to approve of Trump’s handling of crime (43% vs. 24%) and immigration (33% vs. 22%) and are more in favor of deporting all immigrants who are in the country illegally (39% vs. 28%) and those charged with misdemeanors (56% vs. 41%). 

AAPI adults also express large disapproval of Trump’s handling of several major issues. Compared to the general public, more AAPI adults disapprove of his approach to trade with other countries (75% vs. 63%), the IsraeliPalestinian conflict (75% vs. 60%), foreign policy (74% vs. 59%), immigration (71% vs. 56%), the economy (74% vs. 62%), and crime (63% vs. 53%). 

Asian Americans joined the anti-Trump No Kings march.

And while few AAPI adults approve of Trump’s handling of key issues, most say these topics are important to them personally, particularly those related to the economy. Ninety-two percent say the economy is extremely or very important to them, followed by inflation (89%), and jobs (79%). A majority also say crime (73%), trade negotiations (68%), immigration (63%), and foreign policy (59%) are important. 

When it comes to various political and economic ideologies, AAPI adults tend to view left-leaning positions more favorably. Economically, capitalism is viewed more positively than socialism. A majority hold a favorable view of capitalism (57%), while about half feel the same about the progressive movement (51%) and liberalism (47%). Fewer express favorable views of socialism (44%), conservatism (35%), or the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement (26%). 

Reflecting their ideological positions, many AAPI adults support government action on market-based issues such as prescription drug prices and housing costs. Most AAPI adults support the federal government capping prescription drug prices (85%), providing free daycare to children (71%), and requiring new housing developments to include affordable units (70%). About half favor the government forgiving student loan debt for low-income borrowers (53%). 

“These findings underscore the nuanced political and economic perspectives within the AAPI community,” said Jennifer Benz, deputy director of The Associated Press-NORC Center. “While the community embraces capitalism, their more progressive ideologies mean they support government action when the private sector falls short on issues like housing and prescription drug costs.” 

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. 

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