Six weeks ago, President Donald Trump was able to say he and his agenda could be trusted to be popular. According to the voting average, his general bragging of support was supported by the data. And although the proportion of Americans who disapproved gradually increased, he still maintained a net positive rating.
As Trump prepares to deal with a joint session of Congress on Tuesday evening, the country's stocks approve and disapprove the presidency. The share of Americans watching him continues to fall positively. And it seems unlikely he's going to see a boost anytime soon.
The president generally enjoys honeymoon periods during the first weeks of the new administration. This is the period when the recently elected (or re-elected) president is the most popular and has political capital to promote new laws or policies. They usually benefit from doubts from some partisans from the independents and opposition parties, while enjoying near-university recognition from their own party.
But at the time, historically short for Trump. His positive average approval rate lasted longer this year than in 2017, with the public turning him on within a month of its release.
This Trump honeymoon lasted a little longer. It was boosted by Trump's popularity vote victory and higher initial approval rates. In both cases he started off at a fairly low point. This means there was little room for error. For comparison, at this point in Joe Biden's presidency, Biden was approaching the peak of his popularity.
How this unraveling happened is not a major mystery. The economy's view and Trump's treatment of it have shifted negative directions, primarily thinking that Americans are not paying enough attention to issues the president cares about. Combined with a controversial policy position, Elon Musk's perceived influence, and a rather small mission from the start, the public's turn on Trump is right on time.
What recent polls say about Trump's job performance
Looking at the latest data, there is a pretty clear picture. Most people who trust Trump are better for the economy, and Americans who tackle inflation have lost their trust.
When asked whether the national economy is improving or worsening, the trend is negative. With each Gallup tracking data, more Americans say the situation is getting worse. Similarly, during Trump's first two months, the percentage of Americans who think the economy is “good” or “good” fell from 26% to 20%.
Similarly, a February Reuters/Ipsos survey found that Americans believe the country's economy is on track, with a majority thinking that the cost of living is still too high, and only 39% of Americans approving Trump's economy handling. A huge share, 47% disapproved. Trump has also received negative reviews on international trade handling, job markets, taxes and inflation.
It's a recurring theme that spans the past two weeks. The latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll shows that more Americans think Trump and his economic policies are “even worse” (46% say they do. And the overwhelming share of nearly 60% of registered voters believe grocery stores will be more expensive in the coming months.
It makes a lot of sense now that these economic perceptions are dragging Trump down. These investigations warned that Americans believe Trump is focusing on the wrong place.
Americans are consistent in this respect. A CNN poll released Monday shows that 52% of Americans believe Trump is not paying enough attention to the country's most important issues. CBS/YouGov Polling provides more specific details. Respondents thought Trump was pushing tariffs rather than focusing more on borders, reforming the federal workforce and tackling the best priorities. It would lower inflation and improve the economy.
Americans are also torn apart by Trump's focus
Americans believe Trump is actually paying attention to immigration and the federal workforce cuts. The public is divided into its focus and is wary of who is affecting Trump.
CBS/YouGov polls find Trump's reforms are breaking through – about 81% believe he's making a big change – but multiple changes say those changes are “even worse.”
They are divided into these staffing cuts, but they don't think the masks should have as much of an impact as he currently has about how these cuts are being made. More than half of Americans believe Musk and his so-called government efficient department have “too much” access to government data records, for example.
Meanwhile, his immigration policy remains the most popular of his policy moves. But that's not the issue they want him to prioritize most right now. These results are in good agreement with what the data have said over the past few weeks. A month of shocking governance has turned off many independent, medium voters. The group of voters has contributed significantly to his majority recognition through this term. And it appears that Trump is repeating some of his predecessor's mistakes. Assuming a narrow victory is assertion that the country wants to see massive change and confusion. That doesn't seem to be true.
