Donald Trump’s Approval Rating Worse Than First Term: Fox News Poll

As President Donald Trump navigates his second term in the White House, a new Fox News poll reveals that his approval rating has fallen below levels seen during his first time in office.

Trump is also down on every topic surveyed other than the border, reflecting voters’ dissatisfaction with much of the president’s agenda so far.

Why It Matters

Since beginning his second term, Trump has consistently had better poll numbers than during his first term. But polls show his approval rating is now falling amid economic anxiety and fears of a recession.

What To Know

Polls show that Trump’s approval rating is below that of his first term, when he was one of the least popular presidents in recent history.

According to the latest Fox News poll, conducted between April 18-21 among 1,104 registered voters, Trump’s approval rating currently sits at 44 percent, with 55 percent disapproving. The poll has a plus or minus 3-percentage point margin of error.

That is down 1 point from Trump’s 45 percent approval at this point eight years ago, according to Fox News.

It is also lower than the approval of Joe Biden (54 percent), Barack Obama (62 percent), and George W. Bush (63 percent) at the 100-day mark in their presidencies, and is down 5 points from Trump’s 49 percent approval in March.

Meanwhile, the poll showed that Trump is underwater in all but one topic surveyed—the border, where 55 percent approve of his performance. That is in line with polling released since Trump began his second term, which has shown that voters largely approve of the president’s aggressive immigration agenda, which has included mass deportations and a shift toward stricter enforcement and reduced legal immigration pathways.

However, the poll put Trump underwater on the issue of immigration for the first time, with 47 percent approving and 48 percent disapproving.

And voters are less impressed with Trump’s performance in other areas. On the issue of the economy, 38 percent approve of his job performance, while 56 percent disapprove. But his worst ratings were on inflation (33 percent approve, 59 percent disapprove), followed by tariffs (33-58 percent), foreign policy (40-54 percent), taxes (38-53 percent), and guns (41-44 percent).

Trump unveiled a new round of tariffs earlier this month. The announcement sent financial markets into turmoil: Wall Street suffered its worst single-day loss since the pandemic era, and global markets followed suit.

But although the stock market has partially recovered, fears about a recession persist—and they are eating away at his support.

A new Pew Research Center poll, conducted between April 7-13 among 3,589 respondents, found that Trump’s net approval sits at -19 points, with 40 percent approving and 59 percent disapproving. In late January and early February, his approval rating stood at 47 percent, with 51 percent disapproving.

His current rating puts him on par with his first term, when his approval rating sat at 40 percent at the same point. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 1.8 percentage points.

Meanwhile, Newsweek’s tracker also puts Trump’s approval rating at a new low, with 44 percent approving and 53 percent disapproving.

The latest YouGov/Economist poll, conducted between April 19-22 among 1,625 respondents, also showed Trump’s approval rating at a historic low, with 41 percent approving and 54 percent disapproving. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.

And polls show that this is down to Trump’s approval rating on the economy. According to Pew’s poll, 59 percent of Americans disapprove of the administration’s tariff increases, while 39 percent approve.

Americans are also now more likely to say the economy will be worse a year from now than they were in February (45 percent now, up from 37 percent then). In addition, only 45 percent express confidence in Trump to make good decisions about the economy, his lowest rating on this measure in Pew Research Center surveys dating back to 2019.

However, Trump’s economic rating remains higher than Biden’s was throughout his presidency.

Nonetheless, according to Fox News’ poll, 72 percent are “very” or “extremely” worried about the economy entering a recession this year. Meanwhile, the YouGov/Economist poll shows that 37 percent approve of Trump’s performance on inflation and prices, while 57 percent disapprove.

What Happens Next

Trump’s approval rating could further 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.