The Front Page held another Front Poll in October, this time to garner FRCC student and faculty opinions on the state of the economy under the second Trump administration. Opinions about President Trump’s handling of the economy, tariffs, the then-ongoing government shutdown, and answerers’ financial situations were inquired about.
The poll – which ran throughout October and into early November – saw significantly less responses than the previous September poll: 95 less for a total of 179 responses. What trend had been seen in the September poll – namely, the large uptick in strong approval for the President – was reversed to a similar poll result that had been seen in a Front Poll conducted in May.
Of the 179 responses collected, 136 (or 76%) strongly disapproved of President Trump, nine somewhat disapproved, 10 were neutral, eight somewhat approved, 14 strongly approved, and two held no opinion.
Support for Donald Trump decreased on the Larimer Campus, while a slight uptick in general approval for the President (about 3%) was seen on the Westminster campus; however, there were fewer responses in total from all 4 locations, and in general from the previous September poll.
As with the other polls, the Boulder County Campus saw the least amount of representation with 19 respondents. 57 respondents hailed from the Larimer Campus, 52 were primarily online attendees, and 51 hailed from the Westminster Campus.
Nathan Bechard, a Westminster Campus student who strongly approves of Trump, said he approves of him because, “I think the tariffs were a good idea. Cutting stuff is a good idea. And we’re in a lot of debt, and there’s a lot of issues that need to be fixed. I think he’s doing the right things to fix those issues.”
Brechard also felt that “Trump is more like pro-traditional-American-values, like Christianity, the nuclear home; and I’m very pro-traditional-American-values.”
Allison Westphal, also a Westminster Campus student, said of her strong disapproval of Trump, “At the end of the day we’ve crossed the Rubicon. Armed, anonymous state actors are snatching ‘undesirables’ off of the street. Congress scrambles to vote for billionaires’ benefit but shuts down when people need their help. … In a just world he’d have been arrested for his crimes long ago. Every four years I get to experience a coin flip as to whether or not I or my friends get basic human rights. This year it landed on tails.”
Above: Trump’s approval rating among FRCC attendees between October and September 2025.
Trump’s handling of the economy was also mostly criticized by respondents.
The financial situations of the respondents this year compared to 2024 largely were in a worse position now, with a few respondents saying their financial situation was unchanged or saying their situations have improved over the past year.
One respondent said they were able to acquire a 3,200 square-foot home after living in a small camper trying to save money the year before.
Meanwhile, another said that they experienced a “$3 raise this year yet I’m struggling much more. I am trying to make it through school to make a better income, but it is so hard when the price of education is also through the roof.”
Westphal stated that “Because of interest rate changes and lack of investment, I lost my job in 2024. My household income is now halved, and continued cuts mean I’m unlikely to get it back or work again in my trained field. I’m going back to school now to evaluate changing careers.”
The government shutdown was also discussed. After it ended, several respondents had comments to offer on the situation.
“I just wasn’t really affected at all,” Brechard, WC student, said.
“Since the shutdown is over, hopefully, the Democrats and Independents can now organize and reset and refocus on getting new progressive leadership into the executive branch of government,” the respondent from Larimer Campus commented.
Westminster campus student Cayden – who wanted to be credited by first name only – stated that, “I’m disappointed in the Democrats, but I’m ultimately not surprised. They are a spineless party with no strongly held convictions outside of their commitment to their corporate donors. We got nothing out of it because they folded when they had the upper hand.”
Some students, such as Kaio Hall, an online student at FRCC, had additional comments to make. For example, Hall believes the U.S. is falling into a dictatorship.
“Trump’s use of government bodies to remove voices that go in counter to his is extremely dangerous and a common prelude to many dictatorships,” they elaborated. “I’m not saying that Trump is a dictator outright, but I think that he fancies himself one.”
Above: A breakdown of Trump’s approval rating between FRCC campuses in October 2025.
As the poll focused upon the economy, some students also had opinions on what should be done in regards to the economy.
Hall answered, “I think all the tariffs need to be scaled back. Recently, Trump announced a reduction in tariffs for coffee, meat, etc. He managed to severely reduce the price of coffee because of it. He claims now that it was all due to his genius in reducing prices, but he was the one that raised them.”
“Lowering tariffs will lower prices all around, which is a good thing in general,” he continued. “I understand that he is trying to promote American businesses, but the implementation of tariffs is not the way to do it.”
Meanwhile, Cayden, a self-described socialist, answered, “I would like to see a stronger FTC that goes after monopoly and financial crime, prosecuting bad actors to the full extent of the law. Other big policy requests include investment in clean energy, housing construction, transit infrastructure improvements, and Medicare for all.”
