Last year, President Donald Trump rode a wave of voter angst over the economy to sweep the swing states and win a second term in the White House.
However, almost 100 days into Trump’s second term, voters appear unimpressed, expressing dissatisfaction with the president’s handling of inflation and tariffs.
In the latest Washington Post-Ipsos survey, conducted from April 18 through April 22, Trump had a 39% approval rating on the economy, with 61% of adults disapproving of the president’s performance on the key issue. The survey found that 53% of adults feel that the economy has gotten worse since Trump took office for a second time, while 21% of respondents said it has improved.
Trump was also in negative territory regarding his handling of tariffs, with 64% of adults disapproving. When asked about the recent volatility in the stock market, adults by a more than 2-to-1 margin (67% to 31%) disapproved of Trump’s handling of the issue.
In a recent CBS News/YouGov poll, conducted from April 23 through April 25, some 58% disapproved of his handling of the economy.
On inflation, an issue Trump relentlessly attacked former President Joe Biden on during the campaign, voters were even more sour on the president. About 62% of adults disapproved of his handling of the issue, while 53% said the economy was worsening. Just 28% of respondents said it was getting better.
In the latest New York Times/Siena College survey, which was also conducted in late April, 50% of registered voters said Trump has made the economy worse, while 21% of respondents said he’s made it better. Some 27% of registered voters said the economy is roughly the same as it was before Trump’s return to the Oval Office.
Overall, the Times/Siena College survey showed Trump’s job approval rating at 42%, with 54% of registered voters disapproving of his job performance thus far.
Democrats have led the charge against Trump’s trade approach, arguing that he has too much authority in setting tariff rates without congressional approval. Trump has also received some notable GOP pushback on tariffs, too. Seven senators have sided with Democrats on legislation to address the issue.
Trump has injected uncertainty into the economy with his on-again, off-again trade policy. The president levied sweeping tariffs on countries worldwide earlier this month, only to issue a 90-day pause on many of them a few days later. Trump’s 10% baseline tariff, however, remains in effect for most countries, as do his steep tariffs on Chinese goods, which have sparked a trade war with China.
Supply chain researchers and logistics specialists who recently spoke with Business Insider said Americans might see higher prices and shelves with fewer available products if Trump continues to forge ahead with his confrontational trade approach.
