Passage of Donald Trump’s sweeping tax, health and spending bill was no small feat for Republicans, but selling it to the American people may prove to be tougher, even for a president who built a career on savvy branding.
The $3.4 trillion fiscal package narrowly squeaked through the Republican majorities in both the House and Senate after Trump jumped into late-night negotiating sessions to push it through. But the president has yet to convince the public that the law’s sweeping tax cuts and reductions to social safety-net programs are good policy.
Some 61% of Americans oppose the legislation, while only 39% support it, according to a new CNN/SSRS poll released Wednesday.
Survey respondents are also not convinced that the bill will do much to generate economic growth — the centerpiece of Republicans’ argument for rushing it through Congress. Only 29% said the new law would help the economy, while 51% said they thought it would be harmful and another 20% indicated it would not make much of a difference, the CNN/SSRS poll, conducted July 10-13, found.
This polling data doesn’t come as a surprise to White House officials, who were well aware of how unpopular the legislation was, even before Trump pressured lawmakers to muscle it through both chambers of Congress by his self-imposed July 4 deadline.
Despite the poor perception, White House wanted to lock in an economic achievement to demonstrate that Trump would deliver on his campaign promises. Administration officials view the bill as a cornerstone of their economic messaging strategy to win over voters in the 2026 midterm elections when control of the House and the Senate will be at stake.
Amid voters’ ongoing frustration with high prices, elevated interest rates and the uncertainty caused by tariffs, Trump officials have told allies they were under intense pressure to pass the legislation despite the known political risks.
“The One Big Beautiful Bill is an encapsulation of so many of the campaign promises that the American people elected President Trump to enact,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement. “Whether it’s tax cuts, a more secure border, a stronger military, or any other provision in the legislation, there’s something for everyone.”
Vice President JD Vance visited Pennsylvania, a key swing state, on Wednesday to champion the bill and its benefits. Alongside Small Business Administration chief Kelly Loeffler and Republican Representative Rob Bresnahan of Pennsylvania, he urged supporters to go out and tell others about how great the legislation is before the midterms. Top cabinet officials will also travel in the coming months to promote the law, according to a White House official.
So far, Trump himself does not have plans to criss-cross the country to boost support for the tax cuts. Trump recently told NBC News that he would travel “a little bit” to talk about the bill, “but honestly, it’s been received so well I don’t think I have to,” he added.
Republicans lost the messaging war during Trump’s first-term tax overhaul, with Democrats branding that bill as a boon for corporations and the wealthy, making it the first unpopular tax-cut package in modern history.
A former Trump White House official said it’s hard for the president to sell his policies because he quickly moves onto the next thing. Another Trump advisor said the administration must first confront a spate of tariff deadlines in August before the president worries about convincing voters of the efficacy of the tax bill.
Republicans are intent on playing up the permanent extension of the personal tax cuts and breaks for businesses, arguing that absent the legislation, millions of Americans would have seen their tax bills rise next year when Trump’s first term cuts were set to expire.
Republicans plan to play up parts of the bill that poll well — including Trump’s campaign promises to end taxes on tips and overtime pay and to make auto loans deductible — even though some of those last for just a few years. Conservatives want to portray the bill as delivering the economic relief voters have long sought.
At the same time, Democrats are eager to brand the legislation as a giveaway to the rich that comes at the expense to deep cuts to Medicaid and the country’s food stamp program — provisions expected to hit many of the same working class voters who helped enable Trump’s rise to power.
Nearly 17 million people are estimated to lose their health insurance with new eligibility standards and expiration of a tax credit that cut the cost of coverage for some Americans, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
“So many people in rural areas that voted overwhelmingly for Donald Trump are covered by Medicaid,” said longtime Republican pollster Whit Ayres. “They were very savvy at how they set it up with all of the tax cuts and credits taking effect immediately, but the Medicaid cuts don’t take effect until after the midterms in 2026, which was pretty crafty.”
Even so, Republican lawmakers worry about the potential political blowback from the cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, especially when Americans start to lose health insurance, or rural hospitals slash services or close entirely.
Polling shows Americans support Medicaid cuts when lawmakers talk about adding work requirements to be eligible for the benefits. But close to two-thirds of adults ages 19-64 covered by Medicaid already hold jobs, and another 30% don’t work because of caregiving responsibilities, illness, disability or are in school, according to data from the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation.
“The efforts to put lipstick on a pig will not be successful,” said Neera Tanden, the president and chief executive officer of the left-leaning Center for American Progress. “The various limited tax benefits of the legislation for particular sectors are overwhelmed by the dramatic cuts to health care and hunger programs.”
To help counter the critiques, Republicans are trying to talk up the idea that the law prevents undocumented immigrants from accessing Medicaid. Undocumented immigrants, in most cases, are not eligible for the program.
To quell the skittishness of lawmakers, top Trump advisors and allies privately have pledged to spend money in 2026 to help vulnerable Republicans boost their campaigns and sell the bill, according to people familiar with those plans.
“We have to play offense,” said John McLaughlin, one of Trump’s 2024 campaign pollsters. “We need to let the voters know this is what Democrats stand for. If the bill had not passed, 95% of Americans would have seen their taxes rise.”
