Trump’s approval rating slips to 39%, economy weighs, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds
· The Straits TimesSummary
- Trump's approval rating fell to 39%, near his term low, a Reuters/Ipsos poll revealed, dropping from 47% since January.
- Economic concerns drive the decline, with only 33% approving Trump's economic handling amid tariff impacts and persistent inflation.
- Republican support softened; 72% approve of Trump's economy handling, down from 78%, despite 85% backing his overall performance.
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump’s approval rating slipped in recent days to nearly its lowest level of his current term as voters from his Republican Party soured on his handling of the economy, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.
The three-day survey, which concluded on Dec 14, showed 39 per cent of US adults approve of Mr Trump’s job performance, down from 41 per cent earlier in December and within a point of the 38 per cent reading from mid-November, Mr Trump’s lowest rating this year.
The Republican leader returned to power in January with a 47 per cent rating, but his popularity has softened since then, particularly regarding his economic stewardship.
A recent government shutdown
disrupted data collection on the US economy, but many economists think employers have pulled back on hiring because of what some described as shock from Mr Trump’s tariffs on imports.
Just 33 per cent of US adults said they approved of how Mr Trump was handling the US economy, the president’s lowest rating on the matter this year.
While Republicans continue to support the president - 85 per cent approved of his overall performance, unchanged from earlier this month - the share of them who see Mr Trump doing well on the economy fell in the latest poll to 72 per cent, the lowest rating this year and down from 78 per cent earlier in the month.
Mr Trump won 2024’s presidential election on a promise to fix the economy, which suffered a bout of high inflation under Democratic former president Joe Biden. But inflation has been persistently elevated under Mr Trump, staying close to 3 per cent and above the 2 per cent rate that policymakers consider healthier for the economy.
Mr Trump’s approval rating on the cost of living - at 27 per cent - was down from 31 per cent earlier in the month.
The poll, which was conducted online, gathered responses from 1,016 people nationwide and had a margin of error of three percentage points. REUTERS