UJ
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A recent UJ poll carried out by SSRS reveals that many Americans are dissatisfied with President Donald Trump’s management of the economy. His ratings on this critical issue have dipped, even as he experiences high approval ratings regarding other significant matters.
Amid a decline in markets and investor apprehensions surrounding his trade policies, 56% of the public disapproves of his economic leadership, the lowest figures seen during his current term. Conversely, 51% express approval for his immigration policies, which include enhanced enforcement actions—marking a 7 point increase from earlier in his presidency.
American opinions are nearly split regarding Trump’s handling of federal budgeting and government management, with 48% in approval for both areas, while performance in health care (43%), foreign affairs (42%), and tariffs (39%) receives lower ratings.
Currently, Trump’s overall approval rating stands at 45%, with 54% disapproving, reflecting numbers similar to those recorded in March 2017 and aligning with his strongest ratings from the first term. Overall, 35% of Americans believe the country is on the right track, an increase from 29% in January, indicating a boost in positive sentiment among Republicans. His approval ratings remain deeply divided along party lines, with Republicans being approximately ten times more likely than Democrats to approve of his performance.
A substantial majority of Americans agree across party lines that Trump’s approach to presidential power diverges from historical norms. An 86% majority, including more than three-quarters from both parties, believe that Trump is adopting a radically different stance compared to his predecessors, with 49% viewing this as negative and 37% as positive. Only 14% feel his approach aligns with that of past presidents.
Economic issues continue to dominate, as the poll indicates, with 42% of Americans identifying the economy as their foremost concern from a selection of seven—more than double the number who chose any other issue such as the state of U.S. democracy (19%), federal government operations (14%), immigration (12%), health care (6%), foreign policy (3%), or climate change (2%).
The economic concern resonates strongly across party divisions, closely trailing behind democracy issues among Democratic adults (36% consider democracy paramount, while 33% focus on the economy) and overwhelmingly dominating the concerns of Republicans and independents, with 45% from each group prioritizing economic issues.
Perceptions that Trump can enact necessary changes (50%) and effectively manage the government (49%) exceed his ratings from the latter half of his first term (which were 43% and 42%, respectively, as of November 2019). Approximately half of Americans feel that Trump possesses the stamina and sharpness for effective service (51%), while fewer see him as a capable global leader (46%) or as someone who respects the rule of law (38%).
In his initial months back in office, Trump has focused on aggressively cutting spending and downsizing the federal workforce. Public perceptions of this effort and Elon Musk’s role in it are predominantly negative.
Only 35% of Americans hold a favorable view of Musk, while 53% rate him unfavorably, and 11% express no opinion, making him both more recognized and significantly less popular than Vice President JD Vance (who garners favorable ratings from 33% and unfavorable from 44%, with 23% expressing no opinion). Approximately 60% of Americans believe Musk lacks adequate experience and judgment for government reform efforts. Concerns about Musk also extend to some of Trump’s supporters: 28% of those viewing Trump’s government changes as necessary doubt Musk’s judgment.
A majority of 55% of Americans contend that the changes being made to the federal government under Trump are primarily intended to further his agenda, while 45% view these changes as essential for the proper functioning of government.
When asked whether they were more concerned about the extent of the Trump administration’s cuts to the federal government, 62% of Americans expressed greater worry about cuts going too far and risking important programs being eliminated. In contrast, only 37% indicated they were more concerned that cuts wouldn’t sufficiently address fraud and waste within the federal government. Nine in ten Democrats and 69% of independents are predominantly worried about the potential loss of essential federal programs, while 73% of Republicans are more concerned about the continuation of fraud and waste.
Opinions surrounding Trump’s second presidency mirror patterns observed throughout his political journey. The percentages of individuals describing him as empathetic (40%) or as a unifying figure (34%) remain comparably negative since 2019. Throughout his first term, those who strongly disapproved of his presidency consistently outnumbered strong approval ratings; the most recent data reflects 41% in strong disapproval against 26% in strong approval.
Trump has consistently lacked a majority view of having appropriate presidential priorities, with 57% of respondents in the latest survey asserting he has neglected the country’s most pressing issues. Additionally, 59% of U.S. adults currently characterize Trump’s policies and opinions as excessively extreme, which is a slight rise from the 54% majority of registered voters who expressed the same sentiment last September, shortly before his reelection.
Significant portions of the public hold mixed views about Trump’s policies or leadership qualities; for example, 12% approve of his immigration management but disapprove of his economic performance, while 15% believe that Trump neither respects the rule of law nor can enact the much-needed changes in the country.
The UJ poll was conducted by SSRS from March 6-9, involving a random national sample of 1,206 U.S. adults derived from a probability-based panel. Surveys were conducted online or via telephone with live interviewers, and the results among all adults carry a margin of sampling error of ±3.3 percentage points.
UJ’s Jennifer Agiesta and Edward Wu contributed to this report.
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