Trump’s Approval on Voters’ Biggest Issue Plunges to All-Time Low
Recent polling shows increasing numbers of Americans are questioning whether his administration is addressing their financial concerns.
One of President Donald Trump’s strongest issues historically is now dragging his popularity down, new polling shows.
Americans are as bearish as ever on Trump’s handling of the economy, which is now experiencing spiking gas prices in addition to grocery costs that remain as high as they were when the issue of affordability elevated him back to the White House in 2024.
A CNN/SSRS poll conducted last week found that just 31 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the economy—the lowest it has been in either of Trump’s terms.
Trump’s handling of inflation is equally grim. The CNN poll, which surveyed over 1,200 Americans, found that just 27 percent view Trump’s handling of inflation favorably, down from 44 percent this time a year ago.
Roughly two-thirds of respondents said his policies worsened the country’s economic conditions, up 10 points since January.
The damning poll comes as cracks are appearing in the MAGA base.
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Twenty-eight percent of Republicans now say Trump’s policies have worsened the economy, up from 13 percent earlier this year. Republicans younger than 45 have shown the steepest decline, with their approval of the Trump economy dropping 23 points.
Trump’s “strong” approval overall among Republicans has fallen from 52 percent in January to just 43 percent now, according to CNN/SSRS.
Gasoline prices at a gas station in Encinitas, California, on March 30. California has the most expensive gas on average in the United States, but even red states that enjoy lower fuel prices, like Florida, are paying an average of $4.29 a gallon.
Mike Blake/Reuters
The poll found that three out of every four Americans say the economy is in poor shape, an 8-point increase since January, and that 12 percent describe it as “very poor.” Another six in 10 Americans expect economic conditions to remain weak over the next year—a new high for Trump in a CNN poll.
Tanking support on the economy is among the reasons Democrats are heavily favored to retake the House in the fall’s midterm elections. The affordability crisis, which the billionaire Trump has called a hoax, has become a top Democratic talking point.
The CNN poll is not the only one spelling trouble for Trump.
A recent NBC News survey found that 48 percent of Americans named inflation and affordability as the nation’s most pressing issue, far ahead of any other concern. NBC also found that 62 percent of voters disapprove of his handling of inflation and the cost of living.
A Reuters/Ipsos survey reported only 29 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s economic policies—the worst rating of either of his presidencies, and lower than any recorded for former President Joe Biden.
More than 2,000 people have been killed since the Iran ar broke out, including 13 U.S. service members.
Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
Trump’s unpopular war in Iran has intensified economic anxieties, polling shows. An average gallon of gas passed $4 this week and is expected to rise further.
CNN’s poll found that 63 percent of Americans report experiencing at least some financial hardship at the pump, with an additional 15 percent describing the impact as severe.
Nearly half of CNN’s respondents say they have cut back on driving because of rising fuel costs.
White House Spokesman Kush Desai told The Daily Beast: “President Trump has always been clear about short-term disruptions as a result of Operation Epic Fury, and the Administration has had a plan in place to mitigate these disruptions while continuing to restore long-term working-class prosperity by implementing the President’s proven economic agenda of tax cuts, deregulation, and energy abundance.”
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