Key Points: President Trump’s approval ratings remain underwater early in his second term, with a RealClearPolling average of 45.2% approve to 51.1% disapprove as of early May 2025.
-His handling of the economy receives even lower marks, with most polls showing double-digit negative spreads, including a -20 in a recent CNN survey.
-This public sentiment, reflecting concerns over the country’s direction and the recent Q1 GDP contraction, is attributed by some analysts to a “tug of political gravity” after an active but legislatively light first 100 days. While Democrats also face low party favorability, they currently lead the generic congressional ballot for 2026.
The Polls Look Pretty Awful for Trump
Donald Trump may not be at his all-time low in approval rating, but he remains underwater, both in the RealClearPolling average and in most of the recent individual polls.
According to the latest RealClearPolling average as of Wednesday morning, Trump’s average approval rating is 45.2 percent, while his average disapproval is 51.1 percent. Trump’s disapproval average had reached a high of 52.4 percent in late April, in the midst of the tariff chaos, and has come down a bit from there.
The most recent Economist/YouGov poll has Trump at -8, while the newest Morning Consult poll, has him at -6. The “Big Data Poll” actually has Trump in positive territory, at +1, while the most recent polling from Rasmussen Reports has Trump at +3. But the overall trend for the president’s popularity is downward.
Things are worse for the president on the question of his handling of the economy. Every poll listed in the survey has Trump in negative territory on that issue, with most of them in double digits. The most recent CNN poll has Trump’s approval at -20 on the economy.
On the question of the direction of the country, that is also entirely red, with an average of -11 and every recent poll showing Trump in negative territory.
Why So Bad?
What’s bringing down Trump’s poll numbers? According to a Guardian analysis published earlier this week, the president is beginning to feel the “tug of political gravity.”
“A majority of Americans regard him as both a failure and a would-be dictator. From the courts to the streets, from law offices to college campuses, revolt is swelling. Republicans are eyeing next year’s midterm elections with nervousness,” the Guardian piece says.
Unquestionably, the president had an eventful and activity-filled first 100 days as president, even if it was light on any major legislative accomplishments. Whether many of the things Trump did will end up standing up in court is a whole other question.
“He actually squandered his hundred days, perhaps you can argue, by doing too much, not succeeding with much of it and overplaying his hand,” pollster John Zogby told The Guardian. “At the end of the 100 days his polling numbers reflect an unsuccessful quarter. Every poll that I know of, including mine, has him upside down.”
Speaking of an unsuccessful quarter, the economy contracted in the first three months of 2025, which mostly matched Trump’s first three months back in office. Trump, for his part, has claimed that that quarter, and likely the next one too, can be attributed to Joe Biden.
Bad for the Democrats Too, But…
A Fox News poll published this week also noticed that Democrats’ approval ratings haven’t exactly improved, even as Trump’s have dropped in the early going of his second presidency.
The Democratic Party, per the Fox poll, has a favorability rating of 41 percent and an unfavorability rating of 56 percent, which is lower than that of the GOP. Per Fox, that’s the first time that has happened in over a decade. This is echoed in other recent polls.
There’s one big reason for that: Many Democrats, at the current moment, aren’t happy with their own party.
“Party favorability among self-identified Democrats plunged 10 points from last summer (87%) to last month (77%) in the survey,” Fox News said.
“The higher favorable rating for the Republican Party is entirely due to Democrats feeling less favorable toward their party than Republicans do toward theirs,” Democratic pollster Chris Anderson, one of Fox News’ pollsters, said in the Fox story.
Even So…
There is some good news for Democrats in the Fox data: Despite the bad favorability numbers for the Democrats, 49 percent of voters would support the generic Democrat, over 42 percent supporting the generic Republican, if the midterm elections were held today.
About the Author:
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
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