President Donald Trump is in the eleventh week of his second administration and has signed 111 executive orders since his inauguration on Jan. 20, far outpacing any of his immediate predecessors. He has been expanding the powers of the presidency by upending long-standing government policies and making significant cuts to the federal workforce through executive orders and actions. Trump has been touting his performance in steering the nation, but recent national public opinion polls show that Americans may not be pleased with his job as president. He stands at a 43% approval rating and a 53% disapproval rating in a Reuters/Ipsos survey, as well as a 46%-51% rating in a Wall Street Journal poll.
Trump’s approval ratings have slightly declined since the start of his second term, with concerns over the economy and inflation contributing to the slide. Recent national public opinion surveys show that Trump is mostly in negative territory, despite a survey from the Daily Mail suggesting his approval rating is positive. The economy is a significant issue for Trump, with only 37% of Americans approving of his handling of the economy in the Reuters/Ipsos poll. The Wall Street Journal poll shows slightly better ratings for the economy, but Trump remains underwater.
Immigration and border security are the only issues where Trump is in positive territory in the polls, but the success on these issues has blunted their importance. While Trump’s poll numbers are decreasing in most surveys, they are still higher than they were during his first term in office. Veteran Republican pollster Neil Newhouse emphasized that Trump’s Republican base is strongly behind him, which was not the case at the start of his first term. The president’s success on certain issues has essentially neutralized them as priorities, shifting the focus to other areas of concern.
The president has faced backlash over recent decisions, such as the announcement of tariffs that sparked a trade war with the nation’s top trading partners, triggered a financial market sell-off, and heightened concerns about a recession. Despite these challenges, Trump has defended his actions, stating, “Sometimes you have to take medicine to fix something.” Daron Shaw, a politics professor at the University of Texas and a member of the Fox News Decision Team, believes Trump is losing the argument that tariffs are part of a broader economic plan. Trump’s narrative needs to be stronger to convince people that tariffs will address their concerns and that they are essential to the economic strategy.
Trump’s success on certain issues during his second term has influenced public opinion, but there are lingering challenges due to concerns over the economy and trade policies. Trump’s approval ratings have declined slightly from the start of his second term, with majority of national polls showing him in negative territory. While his base remains supportive, Trump needs to address the growing concerns over the economy and other issues to regain public confidence and effectively communicate his policies to the American people.
