US President Donald Trump’s approval rating has slightly dropped in recent days as more Americans express concerns about the direction of the economy, while the new leader threatens multiple countries with tariffs, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
The six-day poll, which concluded on Tuesday, showed that 44% of respondents approved of Trump’s job performance, down from 45% in a previous Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted on January 24-26. Trump’s approval rating stood at 47% in a January 20-21 poll conducted shortly after his return to the White House.
The percentage of Americans disapproving of his presidency has risen significantly to 51%, compared to 41% when he first took office.
Trump enjoys relatively high approval for his immigration policies, with 47% of respondents supporting his approach, including promises to increase deportations of illegal migrants. This figure has remained nearly unchanged since January.
However, the share of Americans who believe the economy is on the wrong track increased to 53% in the latest poll, up from 43% in the January 24-26 survey. Public approval of Trump’s economic management fell from 43% to 39%.
A major pillar of Trump’s political strength has been public confidence that his policies would benefit the economy. However, his current rating is significantly lower than his 53% approval on economic matters in February 2017, during the first full month of his first term.
In the latest poll, only 32% of respondents approved of Trump’s handling of inflation, indicating potential early signs of disappointment with his performance on a critical economic issue.
A recent report from the US Labor Department revealed that consumer prices rose at the highest rate in nearly 1.5 years in January, leading to increased costs for a range of goods and services for Americans.
Other economic data indicates that US households expect inflation to rise further, especially after Trump’s February 1 announcement of steep tariffs on imports from China, Mexico, and Canada.
According to the Reuters/Ipsos poll, 54% of Americans opposed new tariffs on imported goods, while 41% supported them. However, increasing tariffs on Chinese goods saw more support, with 49% in favor and 47% against.
The online poll surveyed 4,145 US adults nationwide and had a margin of error of approximately 2 percentage points.
