New polling shows a collapse in Trump’s approval numbers

Several major polling outlets are beginning to release survey research data to examine President Trump’s first 100 days in office. The numbers are to put it as nicely as possible, not good for the Trump team. To put it more bluntly: The bottom has fallen out of Trump’s job approval ratings.

In research released yesterday by the Pew Research Center, 59 percent of respondents disapprove of Trump’s job as president while 40 percent approve. Much of the anti-Trump sentiment is driven by his tariff policy (59 percent disapprove, 39 percent approve). Only in relative terms does Trump do better on the question of cuts to federal agencies and departments (55 percent disapprove, 44 percent approve).

Sixty-two percent of women and 55 percent of men disapprove of Trump’s job as president.  A modest majority of white voters (51 percent) approve of Trump’s work, but Black (82 percent disapprove), Hispanic (72 percent disapprove) and Asian respondents (69 percent) all give decidedly negative scores.

In a trend that must be worrisome to the White House, 55 percent of voters with a high school education or less now give Trump failing marks, although Republican respondents at least somewhat confident that Trump can handle the major issues facing the country.  

The economy is a real vulnerability for Trump.  His rating on this number has plunged from 54 percent "very or somewhat confident in Trump to make good economic decisions" to just 45 percent today. Pew notes that his is lower than Trump's rating on the issue throughout 2019 and 2020.

Trump’s weakness on the economy is also evident in polling released by Reuters this week, which shows his overall approval rating at 42 percent. Just 37 percent of respondents to the six-day poll approve of Trump's handling of the economy, down from 42 percent in the hours after his January 20 inauguration, when he promised to bring about a "Golden Age." The reading is lower than at any point in his first term, when it ranged from the mid-40s to mid-50s.

Reuters also found that 75 percent of respondents were worried that a recession is coming and 56 percent, "including one in four Republicans," find Trump's economic policy to be "too erratic."

Is there a silver lining for Trump in these numbers? Well, a 42 percent approval rating is at least better than what Joe Biden had for most of his term. Also, the public is less than impressed with the Democratic Party, of which only 38 percent have a favorable impression, compared to 43 percent for the Republican Party. Significantly, only 75 percent of Democrats have a favorable impression of their own party.

One hundred days into Trump 2.0, Americans generally disapprove of Trump’s job performance — particularly on economic issues. The only thing working in Trump’s favor is the fact that voters disapprove of Democrats as well.

Martin Burns, a Democratic campaigner for former Vice President Kamala Harris in Pennsylvania and North Carolina, has worked as a congressional aide, journalist and lobbyist.