Trump approval rating underwater in Fox News survey
President Trump’s approval rating is 11 points underwater in the most recent Fox News survey on his administration, the latest sign of his support starting to drop ahead of his second term hitting the 100-day mark next week.
The poll showed Trump with an approval rating of 44 percent, down 5 points from the 49 percent he had in March. Fox noted the latest number is lower than where all of his most recent predecessors were at this point in their presidencies.
Former President George W. Bush had the highest rating of the 21st century presidents with 63 percent approval, followed by former President Obama with 62 percent and former President Biden with 54 percent. Trump also had a rating 1 point higher at this point in his first term than where he is now.
Pollsters found 55 percent of respondents said they disapprove of Trump’s job performance.
Nearly 60 percent disapprove of Trump’s handling of inflation and tariffs, while only a third say they approve. A 56 percent majority also disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy in general, while 38 percent approve.
Those findings add on to other polls that have suggested voters’ attitudes toward the economy under Trump are increasingly declining. That’s particularly striking given that the economy had regularly been seen as one of Trump’s strengths since the start of his first term.
The Fox poll showed 71 percent of voters view the economy poorly and 55 percent say it’s getting worse for their family. Narrow majorities say they believe Trump’s economic policies are hurting the economy now and will do so in the long run.
"As we’ve moved from one administration to another and the Trump administration tries to find its footing, many still see our leaders as unresponsive to their main concerns," Republican pollster Daron Shaw told Fox News. "Partisans have flipped, of course, so now it’s Democrats who are most worried, but many Independents and Republicans are also skeptical their economic fears are being addressed."
Shaw conducts Fox’s surveys with Democratic pollster Chris Anderson.
Trump’s strongest issue remains border security, with 55 percent of voters approving of his handling of it and 40 percent disapproving. But on immigration as a whole, Trump’s about even with 48 percent approving and 47 percent disapproving.
Trump’s rating in the public’s eyes has also started to drop in the initial polling average from Decision Desk HQ/The Hill. His average disapproval rating as of Thursday stands at 51.8 percent, up more than 10 points from when he took office, while his average approval rating is just under 45 percent.
The Fox News poll was conducted from April 18 to 21 among 1,104 registered voters. The margin of error was 3 percentage points.