Donald Trump Approval Rating Update: President Negative in Multiple Polls

Donald Trump’s approval rating continues to slump, with multiple recent polls showing the president underwater.

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

Multiple polls have recently given Trump a negative net approval rating, showing that around half of voters disapprove of his performance.

That includes Newsweek’s tracker, which currently shows that Trump’s approval rating is 48 percent, while his disapproval rating is 49 percent, giving him a net approval rating of -1 points.

The latest Fox News poll, conducted between March 14 and 17 among 994 registered voters, showed Trump’s net approval rating at -2 points. Fifty-one percent approve of his job performance, and 49 percent disapprove. The poll had a margin of error of ±3 percentage points.

Morning Consult’s latest poll, conducted between March 14 and 16 among 2,210 registered voters, showed 50 percent disapproving and 48 percent approving. The poll had a margin of error of ±2 percentage points.

Meanwhile, the latest YouGov/Economist poll gave him a net rating of -3, while NBC’s poll put the president at -4 and Atlas Intel’s at -5. The YouGov/Economist poll’s results were within the margin of error.

Trump’s lowest net approval rating over recent days came in a poll conducted by Reuters and Ipsos between March 11 and 12 among 1,422 respondents, which showed his rating at -8. In that poll, 52 percent disapproved of his performance, while 44 percent approved. The poll had a margin of error of ±3 percentage points.

Other polls conducted by Echelon Insights, Emerson College and Quantus Insights have given Trump a positive approval rating of between 1 and 3 points—mostly within the margin of error.

His highest approval rating came in a poll conducted between March 6 and 13 among 3,000 registered voters by RMG research, which showed his net rating at +10 points, with 54 percent approving and 44 percent approving. The poll had a margin of error of ±2 percentage points.

Recent polls have suggested that dissatisfaction with Trump’s handling of the economy is a key factor in his declining popularity. The latest poll conducted by NBC News found that more than half (54 percent) said they disapprove of how Trump is handling the economy, compared to 44 percent who approve.

AtlasIntel’s latest poll shows similar levels of dissatisfaction with Trump’s handling of the economy. According to the survey, 48 percent think Trump’s handling of the economy has been “terrible” or “poor,” while 48 percent also said it has been “good” or “excellent.”

Meanwhile, Fox News’s poll showed that 56 percent of respondents disapproved of Trump’s handling of the economy, while 43 percent approved. And in another blow to Trump, an overwhelming 71 percent said they believe the United States economy will go into a recession this year, while just 26 percent disagreed.

This comes as Trump proceeded with plans to impose additional tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico, and China this month, which some experts say could increase inflation.

Goldman Sachs previously estimated that the tariffs could push inflation 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.

Donald Trump’s Job Approval Rating

Trump currently has a net approval rating of -1 points. That is in line with his approval rating from previous days, according to Newsweek‘s tracker, which showed his approval rating remained steady, around 48 percent, throughout last week, peaking at 49 percent on March 6.

His disapproval rate has also mostly remained at 48 percent, hitting a low of 47 percent on March 6. It now stands at 50 percent.

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

Trump’s 48 percent approval rating is lower than former President Joe Biden’s popularity at the same point in his presidency on March 20, 2021, when he had an approval rating of 54 percent and 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.

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. According to Gallup, 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 March 20, 2017, Trump’s approval rating was 44 percent, while his disapproval rating was 50 percent, giving him a net approval rating of -6 points.

That makes Trump marginally more popular now than at the same point in his first term, but about the same amount of people disapprove of his job performance.

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.

Newsweek will update Trump’s average approval rating every week.