The Trump 2.0 'honeymoon' is over. Trump 1.0 never got one, so the early positive ratings represented a fresh and strong start to the new administration, but the public's tariff-fueled fears about the economy now appear to have pushed the president's approval rating down into the mid-40s (or lower) overall, dipping to a range where his numbers sat throughout much of his first term. If it were a single poll or two showing a significant erosion in the president's support, that would be one thing, but this has been a consistent drumbeat across a wide variety of surveys -- including several that have fairly recently measured far better ratings for Trump. Across the top lines, these data sets paint a pretty consistent picture of an electorate that is alarmed by what they're seeing on the perennial top issue, thus impacting their views of the man at the top of the government.
It's true that Trump campaigned on tariffs, but his overall vibe and message was 'Make the Economy 2019 Again,' which resonated with most Americans, especially after four years of Biden and inflation. If people don't feel like the country is moving in that positive and prosperous direction, or may even be sliding the wrong way, these types of numbers will calcify. If the Trump administration wants this to a successful two year term, they can't let that happen. They need to reverse these perceptions, soon:
🇺🇸 NATIONAL POLL By CBS News
— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) April 27, 2025
President Trump
🟢 Approve: 45%
🟤 Disapprove: 55%
Trump's net approval was +6 (53-47) in February vs -10 (45-55) now.
——
Trump's net approval on key issues
🟤 Immigration: -2 (was +8 in Feb)
🟤 Economy: -16 (was +2)
🟤 Inflation: -24
——
53%… pic.twitter.com/KTagGw65AY
📊 WaPo/Ipsos poll: Trump Approval
— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) April 27, 2025
🟢 Approve: 39% (-6)
🟤 Disapprove: 55% (+2)
(+/- shift vs February)
——
Trump's net approval on key issues
🟤 Immigration: -7
🟤 Managing the fed. gov: -15
🟤 The Economy: -22 (new low)
🟤 Tariffs: -30
——
April 18-22https://t.co/rULAyrc0F6 pic.twitter.com/CfXFTaNi2v
NEW CNN POLL: Trump’s 41% approval rating at 100 days is lower than any president's in at least seven decades. @ForecasterEnten joins @jessicadean to break down the warning signs for the White House. #InsidePolitics pic.twitter.com/Z6ocfNBKAN
— Inside Politics (@InsidePolitics) April 27, 2025
New - Trump approval poll
— Political Polls (@PpollingNumbers) April 27, 2025
🟤 Disapprove 59% (+20)
🟢 Approve 39%
First poll to put Trump's approval below 40% in his second term
AP #B - RV - 4/21
NBC News Stay Tuned poll by Survey Monkey
— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) April 27, 2025
President Trump
🟢 Approve: 45% (-10)
🟤 Disapprove: 55%
Gen Z: 34-66 (-32)
Indies: 32-68 (-36)
——
Trump's net approval on key issues
🟤 Tariffs/Trade: -22
🟤 Inflation/Cost of living -20
🟤 Immigration/Border security: -2
——
19,682… pic.twitter.com/t080Qyh4E5
🇺🇸 NATIONAL POLL By Fox News (A)
— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) April 23, 2025
President Trump
🟢 Approve: 44% (-5)
🟤 Disapprove: 55% (+4)
Independents: 26-73%
——
Trump's net approval on key issues
🟤 Inflation: -26
🟤 Tariffs: -25
🟤 Economy: -18 (new low)
🟤 Foreign policy: -14
🟤 Immigration: -1
🟢 Border security:… pic.twitter.com/uRbdGJYfr7
The president can Rage Truth about certain pollsters, but the turn we've seen is seen across the board. There are outlier exceptions, that cannot be dismissed outright, but the general trend is what it is right now (with Trump's 2024 inroads among young people having been dramatically reversed at this stage):
Trump approval under 44 for first time now https://t.co/cLg7fEXIpF pic.twitter.com/NzBNsUbkqe
— G Elliott Morris (@gelliottmorris) April 27, 2025
A lot of Trump opponents, especially in the media, are giddy about all of this, and are especially excited that Trump's approval has eroded considerably on immigration, his strongest issue. But the Fox poll shows that border security is still a double-digit positive for Trump. Mass deportations, which the Resistance hates (absolutely to a fault), are also still quite popular:
CBS Poll: Do you approve or disapprove of the Trump administration's program to find and deport immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally?
— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) April 27, 2025
🟢 Approve: 56% (+12)
🔴 Disapprove: 44%
Was net +8 (54-46) on April 8
——
• Ages 18-29: 52-48 (+4)
• Ages 30-44: 52-48 (+4)
• Ages 45-64:… pic.twitter.com/gjiYNJmxbp
Why, then , has Trump's immigration approval dropped? Part of it may be the wild media pile-on every enforcement action they can cast as problematic, even when it requires exaggerating, omitting facts, or flagrantly lying. But I suspect most of it is just the effect of a president losing altitude on overall popularity, which has knock-on ramifications regarding trust on issues. If he's sinking on the biggest priority, the economy, people are less forgiving and rosy on other questions, too. What is unquestionably driving this rapid decline is widespread dissatisfaction with the tariffs -- just look at the ugly stats above -- and therefore the economy. If that can't be rectified, quickly, it could poison the presidency. Some of the data suggests that people realize it could take awhile for a policy to be implemented and judged fairly, but there needs to be some positive momentum and news to reassure voters. Kimberly Strassel's latest column urges Team Trump to right the ship:
The 100th day of a presidency is symbolic, an arbitrary moment to look back at a president’s initial success. Donald Trump might instead use Wednesday to look forward, to seize it as his chance to retake the narrative. The opening two months of this administration were mold-breaking, the policy equivalent of shock and awe. Day after relentless day, his team flooded the zone with new policy directives and reforms—cutting waste, killing regulations, imposing accountability. The initiatives were a mix of considered and chaotic, but they mostly benefited from having the feel of creative destruction—something voters, weary of Washington waste and indolence, were happy to see...Not so much now. The past month has seen the Trump team on the back foot, and it’s mostly self-inflicted...
It was Mr. Trump who decided to turn the threat of tariffs (a powerful negotiating tool) into a real, live bomb and the center of his economic policy—rather than his powerful deregulatory actions, his economy-boosting tax cuts, or his promising plan to make America the world’s energy powerhouse. The result: daily market swoops and swoons, daily economic warnings, daily speculation as to the fate of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell...This wave of negative PR is burying what has in fact continued to be a steady stream of positive Trump actions...Mr. Trump has a feel for politics, and his efforts this week to tamp down the tariff threats and end the Powell speculation suggest he too wants to get back to a winning message. That shouldn’t be hard, as he has a great guide to what works both in policy and in politics: the free-market agenda of his own first term...Use the 100-day mark to double-down on Trump 1.0—and never look back.
Strassel is a Trump supporter and a sharp observer. The Trump administration would be wise to strongly consider her counsel. There are reportedly multiple deals in the works. Getting several of them announced, even just in principle -- crucially, with corresponding action -- could go a long way in terms of calming the markets and shifting the narrative. I'll leave you with this:
We are setting the fundamentals for a strong dollar, a strong economy, and a strong stock market.
— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) April 27, 2025
Investors need to know that the U.S. government bond market is the safest and soundest in the world. pic.twitter.com/wQGBdzkz6e
