Donald Trump’s Approval Rating Hits Second Term Low

President Donald Trump’s approval rating average among polls has dropped to its lowest point since returning to the White House, signaling growing dissatisfaction among voters.

Why It Matters

Trump’s approval rating is a key indicator of his political strength as he navigates his second presidential term and prepares for future policy battles.

A shift in his numbers could influence support from Republican lawmakers, affect his ability to push through his agenda and shape the political landscape heading into the midterm election cycle.

What To Know

Newsweek’s average of the 10 most recently published polls shows that Trump’s approval rating currently stands at 46 percent, while 51 percent disapprove.

That is his lowest approval rating yet since he began his second term.

The result is in line with recent polls which have also shown Trump’s approval rating dropping. Such was the case in the latest AP-NORC survey, conducted between March 20 to March 24, which showed that 56 percent of respondents disapprove of Trump’s job as president, while 42 percent approve, giving him a net approval rating of -14 points.

The survey was conducted on 1,229 adults and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

A poll conducted by Marquette University Law School between March 17 to March 27 among 1,021 adults showed that Trump’s approval rating had dropped to 46 percent, while 54 percent said they disapproved. In January, 48 percent approved and 52 percent disapproved. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

Other polls, including those conducted by YouGov and The Economist and ActiVote also showed a marginal drop in Trump’s approval rating. In the YouGov/Economist poll. conducted among 1,626 adults, Trump’s approval rating dropped from 48 percent earlier this month to 46 percent now. However, his disapproval dropped 1 point, from 50 percent to 49 percent. In ActiVote’s poll, conducted among 799 registered voters, Trump’s approval dropped from 50 percent in February to 48 percent. His disapproval has stayed the same at around 49 percent. Both polls had a margin of error of around plus or minus 3 percentage points.

The drop in Trump’s approval rating has been mirrored by growing dissatisfaction with how Trump is handling the economy, reflected in the polls.

The AP-NORC poll showed that 58 percent of respondents disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy, while 40 percent approve. Meanwhile, 60 percent disapprove of his handling of trade negotiations, while just 38 percent approve.

Both issues were divided along party lines, with Republicans approving overwhelmingly of Trump’s handling of the economy and trade, and Democrats disapproving strongly.

And a poll by YouGov and Yahoo, conducted between March 20 to March 24 among 1,677 adults, revealed that Trump’s approval rating on the economy was only 39 percent, while 51 percent disapproved.

The poll also showed that a majority of Americans believed that the U.S. was already in a recession (26 percent) or headed towards one (26 percent).

On Monday, Goldman Sachs raised its odds of a recession in 2025 to 35 percent, up from 20 percent previously. That is the company’s highest recession probability since the regional banking crisis two years ago.

Meanwhile, JP Morgan now says the chances of a recession this year stand at 40 percent, with both business sentiment and consumer confidence having slumped in recent weeks.

Fears of a recession have sprouted from a number of Trump economic policies, including tariffs on countries including Canada, Mexico and China, which Goldman Sachs previously estimated could push up inflation by one percent while squeezing U.S. companies’ profits. The Marquette poll showed that 58 percent of adults think tariffs hurt the U.S. economy. The same amount think Trump’s policies will increase inflation.

Trump has sought to blame inflation on his predecessor, President Joe Biden. At an event at the White House in March, he said the U.S. and its economy “went to hell” under Biden.

However, a Morning Consult poll published on March 20 suggests that the message no longer resonates with voters. The findings revealed that 46 percent of respondents said Trump was to blame for the current economic conditions, while 41 percent said the same about Biden. This is compared to a February poll, when 44 percent of respondents said that current economic conditions resulted from Biden’s policies, while 39 percent blamed Trump.

Nonetheless, polls show that Trump still has strong support among his party, with views on the economy divided starkly along partisan lines.

According to Marquette’s poll, 62 percent of Republicans think Trump’s policies will decrease inflation, while 52 percent think tariffs help the economy. Among Democrats, 92 percent say Trump’s policies will increase inflation, while 89 percent say tariffs will hurt the economy. And among white, non-college-educated men, one of Trump’s strongest supporting groups with 67 percent reporting having voted for Trump in November, 44 percent say tariffs help the economy, while 40 percent say they hurt the economy. Among all other categories of race, education, and gender, more think the economy will be hurt rather than helped.

Republicans are also much more optimistic about the direction of the country than Democrats, the AP-NORC poll shows, with only 26 percent saying it is headed down the wrong track, down from 58 percent in January. Democrats are much less optimistic, with 91 percent saying the country is headed in the wrong direction, up from 82 percent in January. Independent voters’ views remain unchanged, with 70 percent saying the country is going in the wrong direction.

How Donald Trump’s Approval Rating Compares to Joe Biden’s

Trump’s 46 percent approval rating is lower than former Biden’s popularity at the same point in his presidency on April 2, 2021, when he had an approval rating of 54 percent and a disapproval rating of 42 percent, according to RealClearPolitics.

Polls released in the days after Trump’s inauguration showed his popularity at an all-time high. However, he was still the least popular president in recent times.

According to Gallup’s first poll of Trump’s second term, conducted between January 21 and 27, his initial approval rating was 47 percent. The pollster said this figure made him less popular than any president since 1953 at the start of a term and the only one to begin with a sub-50 percent approval rating. Gallup said Biden started his first term with a 57 percent approval rating.

How Donald Trump’s Approval Rating Compares to First Term

The RealClearPolitics tracker shows that on April 2, 2017, Trump’s approval rating was 41 percent, while his disapproval rating was 53 percent, giving him a net approval rating of -12 points, making Trump more popular now than at the same point in his first term.

What Happens Next

Trump’s approval rating will likely fluctuate in the coming weeks depending on the outcome of key events, including critical negotiations on the Russia-Ukraine war, the growing tariff battle with countries such as Canada, and concerns about a recession.