The latest survey results indicate that President Donald Trump’s numerical fortunes are deeply in the dumps. His economic approval ratings are no exception in this regard. The CNBC survey highlights a growing discontent among the public, particularly regarding economic issues as Americans grapple with rising living costs.
Based on that survey, Trump’s overall economic approval rating is 45% approve-53% disapprove. While these are encouraging numbers, they represent a small step forward from the beginning of this year. At the same time, approval tanked to 43% and disapproval climbed to 55%. Crucial hurdles remain even today. Perhaps most alarming, 60% of respondents say their incomes aren’t keeping up with the rising cost of living.
On key economic issues, Trump stumbles with double-digit declines in approval ratings. His approval rating on inflation should have everyone up in arms. With just 37% of people supportive and 60% opposed, right now he has a shocking -23 point score. His ratings on federal spending and taxes are just as bad. Approval ratings languish at -19 points for spending and -13 points for taxes. His foreign policy approval rating is even worse, breaking into negative territory at -14 points.
There does seem to be something about Trump’s economic policies that is really striking a positive chord among certain segments of the population. His overall approval rating on tariffs is 45% approve / 51% disapprove. By contrast, he is benefiting from a robust 53% approval rating on his overall handling of southern border security. That indicates a relatively mixed public reception to his policy decisions, with some initiatives – relatively more popular – viewed much more positively than others.
Even amid these half-measures, one-quarter successes—fortunately—there remains some good news in the stock market portion of the Trump economic agenda. His approval rating for the stock market has skyrocketed. It went from -15 percentage points to +4 percentage points! There is a pretty tremendous change occurring in the market. Accordingly, 46% of Americans say it’s a good time to invest in the stock market. On the other hand, sentiment is mixed with 42% of those surveyed saying now is a poor time to be making investments.
Yet the survey uncovers a striking partisan split on support for Trump — one that goes against his favor. His approval among Independents is a paltry 36% with 50% disapproving. At the same time, his support among Republicans is still strong — Democrats still are resisting him in overwhelming numbers.
Jay Campbell noted the complexity of Trump’s current situation: “What seemed to be keeping President Trump’s overall approval level from really dropping down was the strong economy and the credit that he got from the public.” This feeling highlights how precariously Trump is going to have to tread as he attempts to balance wildly competing political interests.
Micah Roberts further elaborated on the issue, stating, “Trump’s approval is stable, but his individual ratings are down on issue after issue, except for tariffs.” He added that the current environment reflects a nation “capturing a country that’s in a shifting moment across all of these issues.”