The image of Donald Trump In American public opinion, a complex moment is going through again, since three months after returning to the White House, The former Republican president maintains an approval level of 45%. This was revealed by data from the Gallup consultant.
This is the second lowest record for a president at this point in the mandate since World War II. The exception is Trump himself, who in his first step by power (2017-2021) started with just 41%.
From 1952 to 2020, The average approval of the presidents during their first management quarter was 60%. Within that framework, John F. Kennedy and Dwight Eisenhower lead the list with 74% and 71%, respectively. For their part, leaders such as Carter, Obama and Reagan ranged between 60% and 69%, while Bush Padre, Bush son, Biden and Clinton moved between 55% and 58%.
Trump’s measures that triggered negative reactions
Trump is the only president in the modern history of the country that whose levels of approval when starting the mandate are presented as less than 50%, in a clear sign of the polarization generated by his figure. This division is also reflected in the data by political affinity: 90% of the Republicans approves their management, while among the Democrats that percentage falls to 4%. Among the independents, 37% approve their current performance, nine points less than at the time of their investiture.
The Gallup survey was conducted in a context of high economic voltage. April 2, Trump announced the imposition of generalized tariffs globally, which unleashed a negative reaction in financial markets. The bag, the dollar and treasure bonds recorded pronounced falls. Although days later the president flexible some conditions and temporarily suspended certain rates, volatility did not disappear.
Some analysts already warn that The effects of this policy could lead to a recession. They highlight as alert signs the collapse of consumer’s confidence, the rebound in inflation expectations and an increasingly weak growth rate.
The economy as a political thermometer
In this context, Only 44% of adults in the US. Within that group, 30% say they have “a lot” confidence, and 14%, “enough.” But 55% are skeptical: 44% have “almost no” confidence, while 11% barely trust “a little.”
The party crack is also evidenced at this point. Among Republicans, 89% say they trust Trump’s economic approach (67% and 22% quite). However, only 37% of independents and 8% of Democrats share that vision.
Gallup performs this follow -up since 2001, when George W. Bush assumed the presidency. At the time, Bush, Obama and Biden began their mandates with a majority of economic matters. Instead, Trump started in 2017 with 48%, and now remains around 44%, almost equal to its average then (46%).
The historical peaks of economic trust were reached by Bush in 2002 (73%) and Obama in 2009 (71%). At the opposite end, Bush fell to 34% in the middle of 2008, and Biden reached 35% in 2023, with inflation hitting the pocket of the Americans strong.
Despite its low general approval, Trump maintains an advantage over other political actors. It has a better image than the leaders of Congress, both Republicans and Democrats, and also exceeds the president of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell. Only 37% trust Powell, while 50% say they have little or no confidence in it.
Source: Ambito
