Multiple surveys conducted in recent weeks reveal President Donald Trump holds the weakest approval numbers of any second-term commander-in-chief since World War II as he nears his 100-day milestone.
Survey data from Fox News indicates a net approval of negative 11 points, with 44% approving and 55% disapproving of the president’s job performance. That figure marks a five-point slide from March, when 49% approved.
Economic anxieties appear central to the president’s sinking numbers, particularly troubling given that prosperity arguments dominated his campaign messaging. Just 37% back his economic stewardship in a Reuters/Ipsos survey, while Fox News recorded 38% approval and 56% disapproval on that same metric.
Inflation represents Trump’s most significant vulnerability, with Fox News recording 33% approval against 59% disapproval on that topic. His tariff agenda fares no better, drawing 33% support and 58% opposition.
The CNBC All-America Economic Survey captured Trump’s weakest economic marks of his entire presidency, with 43% approving. That same survey found less than half of U.S. adults—45%—trust his ability to make sound economic choices, representing a 14-point plunge from the prior year.
In the polling results, nearly half—47%—identified grocery and consumer product prices as their primary economic worry, alongside concerns about the cost of housing and rental expenses plus stock market performance.
Trump himself dismissed the Fox News findings, charging that the “pollster has gotten me, and MAGA, wrong for years.”
A Pew Research Center study from April 2025 shows overall approval at 40%, down seven percentage points from February. Pew found that the public views several major policy decisions—such as imposing new tariffs, reducing federal agency budgets, and relying heavily on executive orders—unfavorably rather than favorably.
The Reuters/Ipsos data also reveals widespread unease with the president’s efforts to consolidate authority. A majority—57%—reject the notion that presidents may legitimately deny funds to universities based on disagreement, while 66% oppose granting presidents control over national cultural institutions.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll places Trump’s approval rating at 42%, his lowest level since the start of his second term.
His current standing falls below what he recorded at the same juncture of his first administration, when he stood at 45%. That means the president is doing worse now than during his initial term.
Trump also trails his immediate predecessors significantly. At the 100-day milestone, joe biden reached 54% approval, barack obama achieved 62%, and george w bush recorded 63%.
New York Magazine’s analysis shows the president’s net approval has fallen 18.6 percentage points, moving from positive 11.6% in january to negative 7% in april.
Border security stands as the sole area where the president receives majority backing. Fox News found 55% approve of how the president manages border enforcement, representing his most favorable policy area.
Foreign policy, by contrast, leaves him “underwater,” according to Fox News data showing 40% approval versus 54% disapproval.
Trump’s second-term approval has averaged 45%, which exceeds his first-term average but still falls short of where other post-World War II presidents stood at comparable stages of their time in office.
The 100-day milestone arrives with approval numbers that pose difficulties for an administration whose campaign emphasized superior economic management skills and seasoned executive leadership.
