A new poll from Emerson College found President Donald Trump’s approval rating is declining as economic fears build.
The poll found Trump with a 47% approval rating and 45% disapproval rating. While the poll still found a net positive approval of +2, it has decreased by 3 points since Emerson College’s poll last week.
Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said that the numbers show that the “honeymoon phase” seems to be coming to an end.
“As President Trump reaches his first 50 days in office, his approval rating has declined from 49%-41% to 47%-45%, reflecting a nation deeply divided,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said in a press release. “Despite not yet delivering on the economy in voters’ minds, Trump’s support remains strong. However, the true challenge will be how voters perceive their financial future.”
While voters support Trump’s immigration policy, they disapprove of his handling of the economy, from tariffs to cryptocurrency policies, the poll reveals.
The Emerson College Polling national survey polled 1000 registered voters March 8-10. It has a margin of error of +/- 3%.
The poll found that Trump’s disapproval is highest on the U.S. economy, something that was at the top of voters’ minds during the 2024 election.
According to the poll, 48% disapprove of his handling of the economy, while 37% approve.
A plurality (46%) of voters say that Trump’s economic policies are making the economy worse, while 28% think they are making the economy better. Most voters also think that increasing U.S. tariffs will hurt the U.S. economy (53%), while 37% think it will help the economy.
A small plurality overall (39%) also say that they and their family finances are worse off than a year ago.
“Black voters are most likely to report being worse off financially than a year ago, at 52%, compared to 40% of Hispanic voters and 38% of white voters who say the same,” Kimball said.
While more people approve than disapprove of Trump’s handling of immigration and “balancing federal budget,” most disapprove of his foreign policy decisions, like the Russia/Ukraine war, the Israel/Hamas war, and U.S. relations with neighbors Mexico and Canada.
The poll comes as many polls have shown Trump’s approval rating declining in the wake of tariffs and his controversial handling of the Russia/Ukraine war.
On March 4, his average approval rating flipped negative for the first time in his second term, according to the now-shuttered poll aggregator FiveThirtyEight.
While Trump started his term with a net average approval rating of +8.2 points on Jan. 24, it was -0.3 on March 4, with 47.9% of Americans disapproving of Trump’s performance and 47.6% approving.
Here are some other recent approval ratings released about the Trump administration:
Reuters/Ipsos:
Morning Consult:
YouGov/CBS News:
Marist/NPR/PBS News
