President Trump’s job approval rating has been steadily decreasing over his first three months in office, according to a New York Times average of polling data. His approval rating has dropped to around 45 percent, down from 52 percent shortly after he took office. Approximately half of the country now disapproves of his performance, as indicated by polling numbers. This decline in approval is happening at a slightly faster rate than that of previous presidents, with Mr. Trump starting his term with the second-lowest approval rating for a president in modern history, surpassed only by his own approval rating when he first took office.
The polling average compiled by The New York Times includes a wide range of publicly released polls tracking Mr. Trump’s approval rating, aiming to balance out the biases in individual polls and making it easier to track changes in public opinion over time. While the average does not specifically address the reasons behind the decline in approval, it is evident that Mr. Trump’s numbers have continued to fall following his decision to impose sweeping global tariffs by executive order. The impact of this decision on public opinion is still unclear, as it is too early to fully capture the effects of such a significant event.
In his second term, President Trump has been focused on reshaping the global economy, cracking down on immigration, shrinking the federal government, and reforming law firms and universities. His approach seems to be a “flood the zone” strategy to overwhelm any opposition. Despite carrying out many of the promises he made as a candidate, some of Mr. Trump’s actions have raised concerns among even his supporters. The implementation of broad tariffs on numerous countries has ruffled feathers with both allies and adversaries, leading to global market instability and trade war tensions.
Although there has been a decline in Mr. Trump’s approval ratings, particularly among independent voters, his support among Republican voters has remained relatively stable. Polls indicate that much of the decrease in approval has come from independents, with more of them disapproving of the president’s job performance than approving. However, pollsters continue to struggle to accurately gauge the depth of support for Mr. Trump, as past pre-election polls have underestimated his popularity by an average of 3 percentage points.
President Trump remains optimistic about his second term, touting achievements such as a reduction in illegal border crossings, increased U.S.-based investments, the release of Americans imprisoned abroad, and his efforts to eliminate diversity initiatives in public and private sectors. He has also hinted at upcoming trade deals, including with China, and expressed confidence that these agreements will be beneficial for all parties involved. Despite the mixed reactions to his policies and actions, Mr. Trump remains focused on delivering on his promises and securing what he sees as a successful presidency.
