President Donald Trump’s approval rating has taken a hit, slipping into negative territory for the first time as disapproval outweighs approval, according to an average calculated by Newsweek.
Why It Matters
Trump’s approval rating is a key indicator of his political strength as he navigates his second 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 recent polls found that Trump has an approval rating of 47 percent, while his disapproval rating stands at 49 percent.
It is the first time Newsweek’s tracker has shown Trump in negative territory after his approval rating had held steady at 48 percent over the past week, briefly peaking at 49 percent on March 6. His disapproval rating had also remained mostly at 48 percent, dipping to 47 percent on March 6 but now rising to 49 percent.
It comes as Trump’s approval rating has been on a steady decline in recent polls, with one survey last week marking the first time his net approval turned negative since his return to the White House on January 20. The latest YouGov/Economist poll, conducted between March 9 and 11 among 1,532 registered voters, shows his disapproval rating rising to 47 percent, up from 45 percent in a survey conducted between February 23 and 25. Meanwhile, his approval rating has dipped from 48 percent to 47 percent. Both polls carried a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
An Emerson College poll conducted from March 8 to 10 found Trump’s approval at 47 percent and disapproval at 45 percent, a decline from 48 percent approval and 43 percent disapproval recorded in early March. A Trafalgar Group/InsiderAdvantage poll from March 5 also showed a drop in support, with approval falling to 50 percent from 54 percent in February. Both surveys had a margin of error of about 3 percentage points.
And in Quinnipiac University’s latest poll, conducted between March 6 and 10 among 1,198 registered voters, Trump disapproval was up by 4 points, at 53 percent, while his approval rating decreased to 42 percent from 45 percent in the previous poll, conducted on February 19. The poll had a margin of error of +/- 2.8 percentage points.
Some polls have shown an increase in Trump’s disapproval rating, while his approval rating has remained the same or increased.
For example, in the latest poll conducted by Reuters and Ipsos between March 11 and 12 among 1,422 respondents, his disapproval stood at 52 percent, up from 51 percent in the previous poll, conducted between March 3 and 4 among 1,174 adults. However, his approval rating stayed the same at 44 percent. Both polls carried a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points.
Recent polling suggests that dissatisfaction with Trump’s handling of the economy is a key factor in his declining popularity. Quinnipiac’s latest poll showed 41 percent approve of his handling of the economy, while 54 percent disapprove. And according to the latest YouGov/Economist poll, Trump’s approval rating on jobs and the economy stands at 43 percent, while 47 percent disapprove. This marks a shift from February, when 44 percent approved and 45 percent disapproved.
Regarding inflation and prices, Trump’s approval rating has fallen by 2 points in the YouGov/Economist poll, now at 38 percent, with disapproval rising from 49 percent to 52 percent. However, his handling of taxes and government spending has seen the most significant drop. Currently, 47 percent of respondents disapprove of his performance on the issue, up from 43 percent in February, while 44 percent approve, down from 48 percent.
These trends are echoed in the Reuters/Ipsos poll, which revealed that 57 percent of Americans think Trump’s moves to shake up the U.S. economy have been too erratic. This includes his aggressive strategy on tariffs, which many say has spooked the stock market.
Trump proceeded with plans to impose additional tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico, and China this week, a move that some experts say could increase inflation. Goldman Sachs previously estimated that the tariffs could push inflation up by 1 percent while squeezing U.S. company profits and provoking retaliatory measures from other countries. Canada, for example, has announced billions of dollars in retaliatory tariffs.
At the same time, inflation is already affecting the economy, as a Labor Department report for January saw the largest consumer price increase in nearly 18 months. However, other indicators show inflation has been falling more recently.
In the Reuters/Ipsos poll, 70 percent of respondents—nine in 10 Democrats and six in 10 Republicans—said they expect higher tariffs to make groceries and everyday purchases more expensive. Additionally, 61 percent of respondents indicated that Trump’s top priority should be addressing rising prices.
CNN’s latest poll, conducted from March 6 to 9 among 1,206 respondents, found the highest levels of dissatisfaction with Trump’s handling of tariffs. A majority, 61 percent, disapproved of how Trump is handling tariffs, while only 39 percent approved. The same poll revealed that 56 percent of respondents disapprove of his handling of the economy, with 44 percent approving. Similarly, in the Emerson College poll, Trump’s disapproval rating was highest on the U.S. economy, with 48 percent disapproving and 37 percent approving.
Trump’s net approval rating went negative for the first time in his second term on Friday, with more people disapproving of his job performance than approving. It comes after his approval rating had remained steady, at 48 percent, over the past week, peaking at 49 percent on March 6, according to Newsweek’s average.
His disapproval rate has also mostly remained at 48 percent, hitting a low of 47 percent on March 6. It now stands at 49 percent.
Trump’s 47 percent approval rating is lower than Joe Biden’s popularity at the same point in his presidency on March 14, 2021, when he had an approval rating of 53 percent and a disapproval rating of 42 percent, according to RealClearPolitics.
Polls released in the days following 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, he had an initial approval rating of 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. According to Gallup, Biden began his first term with a 57 percent approval rating.
Trump is also less popular now than he was at the same point in his first term.
The RealClearPolitics tracker shows that on March 14, 2017, his approval rating stood at 50 percent, while his disapproval rating stood at 44 percent.
What Happens Next
Trump’s approval rating is likely to 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 U.S. recession.
Newsweek will update Trump’s average approval rating every week.
