President Donald Trump’s approval rating has taken a surprising turn, with two new polls showing a sudden surge in support for the president.
Why It Matters
Trump began his second term with higher approval ratings than ever. But in recent days, polls have begun to show his popularity firmly underwater after he released his new program of “Liberation Day” tariffs, which rocked markets and heightened concerns about inflation and a possible recession.
But after most of the new tariffs were paused in one of Trump’s biggest U-turns yet, and with the markets now bouncing back, polls are showing that his popularity is beginning to climb back up.
Alex Brandon/AP
What To Know
Two recent polls have shown Donald Trump’s approval rating climbing back into positive territory for the first time since he announced the new round of tariffs.
Rasmussen’s poll tracker now shows that Trump’s approval rating stands at 50 percent, with 48 percent disapproving, giving him a net rating of +2 points. Since April 4, Rasmussen’s tracker had shown Trump’s approval rating in the negative.
More good news came for Trump in a new poll conducted by J.L. Partners between April 10-14 among 1,002 registered voters, which shows that he has an approval rating of 48 percent, while 42 percent disapprove. The poll had a margin of error of +/- 3.4 percentage points. However, that is only a minor increase from the previous J.L. Partners poll, which gave Trump an approval rating of 47 percent, while 42 percent disapproved.
Only a handful of polls conducted over the past few days have given Trump a positive net approval rating, including the latest RMG Research poll, which put his net approval rating at +1 point, as well as a HarrisX/Harvard poll, which showed the president with a net approval of +2 points—both leads are within the margin of error.
But most polls have shown Trump’s approval rating firmly underwater. That includes the most recent Morning Consult poll, conducted between April 11-13 among 2,203 registered voters, which showed Trump’s approval rating at an all-time low, with 45 percent approving and 52 percent disapproving.
Newsweek’s tracker also shows Trump’s approval rating in the negative, with 46 percent approving and 50 percent disapproving. However, his disapproval rating is down 1 point from Tuesday, while his approval rating has remained the same.
Nonetheless, the latest polls indicate that Trump may be recovering from the damage that his “Liberation Day” tariffs did to his popularity. And that should “give Democrats pause,” Thomas Gift, an associate professor of political science and director of the Centre on U.S. Politics at University College London, told Newsweek.
He added that while many progressive elites assume Trump’s tariffs are politically damaging, this view may reflect an urban echo chamber more than the national sentiment.
“A considerable number of Americans are four-square behind Trump’s tariffs. That not only includes MAGA Republicans, but also populists on the left who are cheering on Trump’s attacks on free trade,” Gift said.
But polls still indicate that voters are concerned about the economy. The HarrisX/Harvard poll, conducted between April 9-10 among 2,286 registered voters, showed that 52 percent think the economy is on the wrong track, up from 51 percent last month, while only 37 percent think it is on the right track, down from 38 percent last month.
Meanwhile, 54 percent say the economy is weak, up from 53 percent last week, and 46 percent say it is strong, also down 1 point from last month.
Economic anxiety appears to be growing on a personal level, too: 45 percent of voters say their financial situation is getting worse, compared to 41 percent at the beginning of the month.
There is also still widespread concern about the tariffs themselves. While 84 percent said they support free trade, and 78 percent think free trade has been beneficial to the U.S. economy, almost half of respondents (47 percent) said they oppose the charges, while 45 percent said they support them, and only 15 percent said Trump’s tariffs so far have helped them, while 38 percent said they had hurt them. Additionally, 48 percent said the tariffs were the right idea but they had been executed badly.
Some 41 percent said they had seen everyday prices go up as a result of the tariffs.
Similarly, the latest CBS/YouGov poll showed that 75 percent of respondents said they think the tariffs will raise prices in the short term, while 48 percent said they believe they will have a long-term impact. The poll also showed that Trump’s approval rating on the economy currently stands at 44 percent, with 56 percent disapproving.
That is compared to March 30, when 58 percent said they approved and 42 percent disapproved, and March 2, when 51 percent approved and 49 percent disapproved.
Trump’s approval rating on his handling of inflation has also taken a big hit. In the most recent poll, 40 percent said they approve, down from 46 percent in early March, and 60 percent said they disapprove, up from 54 percent in early March.
How Trump’s Approval Rating Compares to Joe Biden
Trump’s 46-percent approval rating is lower than former President Joe Biden’s at the same point in his presidency. On April 16, 2021, Biden stood at 54 percent, with a disapproval rating of 41 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.
How Trump’s Approval Rating Compares to First Term
The RealClearPolitics tracker showed that on April 16, 2017, Trump’s approval rating was 41 percent, while his disapproval rating was 52 percent, giving him a net approval rating of -11 points—making Trump more popular now than at the same point in his first stint in the Oval Office.
What People Are Saying
Thomas Gift, an associate professor of political science and director of the Centre on US Politics at University College London, told Newsweek: “While it’s too early to know if positive swings for Trump are meaningful, new polling data should at least give Democrats pause.
“There’s a widespread assumption—especially among progressive elites in major cities—that tariffs are politically damaging for Trump. But that may reflect more of an echo chamber than the national mood. A considerable number of Americans are four-square behind Trump’s tariffs. That not only includes MAGA Republicans, but also populists on the left who are cheering on Trump’s attacks on free trade.”
What Happens Next
Trump’s approval rating could fluctuate in the coming weeks, depending on the outcome of key events, including critical negotiations in the Russia-Ukraine war, the evolving tariff situation and concerns about a recession.
