President Donald Trump’s approval rating has turned negative in a new poll conducted by his campaign pollster Tony Fabrizio for The Wall Street Journal.
Just 46 percent of people approval of Trump’s overall job performance, while 51 percent disapprove, according to the poll, which Fabrizio conducted with Democratic pollster John Anzalone.
Why It Matters
Presidential approval ratings provide insights into how the public believes the president is performing.
A shift in Trump’s 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
The poll for the Journal was conducted between March 27 through April 1 among 1,5000 registered voters reached by phone or text. The margin of error was plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
The poll, which was conducted after Trump imposed some tariffs but before he announced sweeping tariffs on nearly all U.S. trading partners in Wednesday, found that 54 percent of people oppose Trump’s tariffs on imports, while 42 percent support them.
It also found that 52 percent think the economy is getting worse rather than better, up from 37 percent who said the same in January.
It comes as several recent polls have shown Trump’s approval rating on the decline.
On Friday, his approval rating turned negative for the first time during his second term with Rasmussen, which is generally considered a Republican-leaning pollster.
Trump’s approval rating fell to 43 percent, the lowest since his return to office, according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Wednesday. That survey, conducted between March 31 and April 2, showed his approval rating down 2 percentage points from a poll conducted in March and 4 points below the 47 percent approval he had shortly after returning to office in January.
The decline in Trump’s approval rating comes as his tariff hikes have roiled financial markets and raised fears of a recession.
Despite this, Trump has said he won’t back down on his sweeping tariffs unless countries even out their trade with the U.S.
What People Are Saying
Democratic pollster John Anzalone told the Journal: “American voters give a president a little grace at the beginning. They can have high anxiety about his economic policy and tariffs, and also say they want to wait and see. I think that’s where people are.”
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday: “Oil prices are down, interest rates are down (the slow moving Fed should cut rates!), food prices are down, there is NO INFLATION, and the long time abused USA is bringing in Billions of Dollars a week from the abusing countries on Tariffs that are already in place.”
What’s Next
Trump’s approval rating will likely continue fluctuating as the impact of the tariffs is felt by Americans.
He has said he’s not backing down on tariffs, insisting that they are bringing in billions of dollars in revenue.
Trump defended his trade policies in a Truth Social post, saying that tariffs are bringing in “Billions of Dollars a week” and insisting there is “NO INFLATION” despite growing economic concerns.
Read the full article here
