(The Hill) — President Trump’s approval rating in the first quarter of his second term is sitting at 45 percent — an increase from the same timeframe in his first term, according to a recent Gallup survey.
Trump touted a 41 percent approval rating during his first administration, which measures 19 percentage points below post-World War II presidents, the pollster noted. The average first quarter approval rating for U.S. presidents from 1952 to 2020 is 60 percent.
The latest approval score comes as Americans have felt the pressure of Trump’s recent tariff announcement amid economic uncertainty sparked by market changes and the potential impact of the president’s trade war on consumer prices.
Earlier this month, the leader announced a 10 percent baseline tax on nearly all imports and higher reciprocal tariffs on a range of nations with hopes of creating an American financial and manufacturing boom in the U.S. Most of the reciprocal taxes are under a 90-day pause, with the exception of China — a major trading partner for the U.S.
Still, Republicans seem optimistic about Trump’s economic agenda, the survey shows.
Less than half of U.S. adults say they have confidence in the president to recommend or do the right thing for the economy, according to the Gallup poll. Roughly 44 percent of Americans shared a lack of confidence in the president’s ability to make strides for the economy.
Another 11 percent said they have little confidence, 14 percent said they had a fair amount of trust and 30 percent said they had a “great deal” of faith in his leadership, per the poll.
The numbers largely rest along party lines. Just under 90 percent of Republicans said they have a great deal of confidence in Trump’s economic leadership, even with the tariffs, compared to 37 percent of independents and 8 percent of Democrats.
Separate polls have also highlighted discontent for the president’s economic policy.
Just more than half — 51 percent — of Americans surveyed in an April Economist/YouGov poll said they disapprove of Trump’s job performance while over half of Americans, 52 percent, disapprove of his handling of the economy — marking a 12 percent uptick from his disapproval in October 2024 as measured in a Wall Street Journal poll.
Confidence in Trump’s economic measures resemble the statistics from his first term. During his first year in office, he received a 48 percent approval rating on the economy, according to Gallup.
Though his approval numbers have dipped to 44 percent overall since returning to the Oval Office in January, the rating remains similar to his 46 percent average throughout his first term, the pollster noted.
The survey was conducted April 1-14 among 1,006 adults in the U.S. The margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points.
