Trump’s approval rating hits second-term low as Americans sour on the economy and Iran war
President Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen to a new low as Americans express growing concerns about rising costs and war with Iran, according to an NBC News Decision Desk poll by SurveyMonkey.
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Overall, 37% of adults approve of Trump’s performance as president, while 63% disapprove — including 50% who say they strongly disapprove — placing his job rating at the lowest point of his second term in the NBC News Decision Desk poll. Two-thirds of respondents also disapprove of Trump’s handling of inflation and the Iranian conflict.
Although the president still enjoys overwhelming support from his base, Republican support has softened compared to the last Decision Desk poll conducted in late January and early February. In the new poll, 83% of Republicans gave Trump a positive rating, down 4 points from earlier in the year. And the share of Republicans who strongly approve of Trump’s job performance fell 6 points, from 58% to 52%.
And generally speaking, a third of Americans think the country is on the right track, while two-thirds think it’s on the wrong track — the most pessimistic outlook in Decision Desk polls since Trump took office last year.
The poll results underscore the challenges Republicans face as they defend their congressional majority in this year’s midterm elections. Americans’ frustrations with the economy and the war in Iran also come after Trump promised to fight inflation and keep the United States out of foreign entanglements during his 2024 presidential campaign.
Wallet problems in the minds of Americans
The economy continues to be the top issue for Americans, with 29% saying it is the issue that matters most to them right now, while 24% cite threats to democracy, 12% health care, and 10% crime and safety.
And when asked what economic issue concerns them most at the moment, inflation and the rising cost of living are the big winners: 45% of them chose this option, significantly higher than any other.
Just 32% of Americans said they approve of Trump’s handling of inflation and the cost of living, compared to 68% who disapprove. A majority of Americans (52%) said they strongly disapprove of Trump’s handling of the issue, while 16% said they somewhat disapprove.
The share of Americans who strongly disapprove has increased 7 points since last summer, the last time the Decision Desk survey asked the question. And the percentage of Republicans who said they approve of Trump’s handling of inflation, 73%, is 10 points lower than it was in this poll.
More Americans said their personal financial situation is worse today than it was a year ago (40%) and fewer Americans said their economic situation is better (19%) than in any previous Decision Desk poll conducted during Trump’s second term.
Republicans are twice as likely as independents and three times as likely as Democrats to say their personal economic situation is better today. Thirty-four percent of Republicans think so, compared with 48% who say their economic situation is about the same as last year and just 18% who say it is worse.
Meanwhile, 55% of Democrats and 46% of independents believe their economic situation is worse today than it was last year.
And nearly two-thirds of Americans said gas prices were a problem for them and their families. Twenty-nine percent consider it a serious problem and 36% consider it a somewhat serious problem, while 29% said it is not too serious a problem and 9% said it is not a problem at all. Blue-collar and less-educated Americans are more likely than white-collar workers and those with college or post-graduate degrees to call rising gasoline prices a problem.
Opposition to the war in Iran
The latest poll also finds that two-thirds of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of the war with Iran, and one-third approve.
Americans’ opinions of Trump’s handling of the war did not change significantly after he announced a temporary ceasefire on April 7, while polling was still ongoing, with about a third of Americans approving of his handling of the war in the days following the announcement.
Nearly all Democrats and 82% of independents disapproved of Trump’s handling of the war, while 74% of Republicans approved. But the share of Republicans disapproving of Trump’s handling of the war (26%) was higher than the share of Republicans disapproving of Trump’s work overall (17%).
Although some MAGA influencers have expressed concerns about the war, the poll finds that the president’s most ardent supporters are still behind him: 13 percent of self-described supporters of the MAGA movement said they disapprove of Trump’s handling of the war, while 87 percent approve.
A large majority (61%) of adults said the United States should not take further military action in Iran, while 23% said the United States should consider all options, including the use of ground forces, and 16% said military operations should continue, but only with airstrikes.
An even higher percentage of Americans under 30 want the war to end, with 74% saying the United States should not take further military action in Iran.
Some positives for Trump on immigration and voter ID
Trump saw a dramatic drop in his approval ratings on immigration, another major plank of his 2024 campaign, earlier this year after federal immigration agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens in Minnesota.
Since then, the Trump administration has attempted to change tack, firing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and removing Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino from his post. Since February, the number of people detained and arrested by ICE has decreased. But more than 60,000 people remain in custody, nearly twice as many as before Trump returned to power, according to ICE data.
The new poll suggests there has been some improvement for Trump on the issue, although he is still underwater. Overall, 44% of Americans approve of his handling of border security and immigration, an increase of 4 points since late January and early February, while 56% say they disapprove.
The share of adults saying they “strongly disapprove” of the president on immigration is 42%, compared to 49% at the start of the year.
Trump is also pushing to overhaul the nation’s voting laws at the heart of his second term, urging congressional Republicans to pass the SAVE America Act, which would create new photo ID and proof of citizenship requirements for voting. The House approved the measure, but it lacks the support needed to advance in the Senate.
Three-quarters of Americans say they favor requiring voters to present a government-issued photo ID in order to vote. Among those who support the requirement, 61% said they think such documents should include proof of citizenship, while 39% favor requiring documents only proving identity but not citizenship.
The NBC News Decision Desk poll conducted by SurveyMonkey surveyed 32,433 adults online between March 30 and April 13 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.8 percentage points. Percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding.
