President Donald Trump’s approval ratings on the economy and inflation have dropped following weeks of uncertainty in the stock market and changes in tariff policies, as revealed by a recent poll released on Sunday. According to the CBS News survey of 2,410 Americans, Trump’s approval rating for his handling of the economy decreased to 44% and for inflation to 40%, both down 4% from March 30. Overall, the president’s approval rating has fallen to 47% this month, declining from 50% in March and 53% in February.
The survey indicated a divide in views on Trump’s tariff plans based on political affiliations. While 91% of Republicans believed Trump has a clear plan on tariffs and trade, only 43% of independents and 16% of Democrats agreed. Furthermore, 58% of respondents opposed new U.S. tariffs on imported goods.
The survey was conducted from April 8 to 11. On April 9, Trump announced a 90-day pause on “reciprocal tariffs,” reducing the levy to 10% for goods from most countries, except for a few exceptions. As the trade war with China intensifies, U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports currently stand at 145%. However, Trump recently announced exemptions on imported smartphones, computers, and electronics, at least temporarily.
Despite Trump’s positive outlook on tariff policies, the poll showed that while 51% of Americans support his goals regarding tariffs and trade, only 37% approve of his approach. Additionally, a majority of respondents expressed negative views on the state of the U.S. economy, with 59% considering it fairly bad or very bad and 53% believing it is deteriorating. When asked about the impact of Trump’s policies, 49% felt financially worse off, while only 21% reported improvements.
Regarding groceries, 58% believed that the president’s policies are causing prices to rise, while 18% expected costs to decrease. Moreover, a majority (62%) agreed that Trump’s decisions are contributing to the stock market decline.
Following fluctuations in the stock market due to consumer sentiment and the tariff pause, major U.S. indexes closed higher on Friday after experiencing losses.
