While low by historical standards, Trump’s popularity remains higher than it was for much of his first term as president and is also stronger than what his Democrat predecessor Joe Biden had during the second half of his 2021-2025 term.
Trump’s high point remains his 47% rating in the hours after his return to the White House in January. His approval has shown little movement in recent weeks. Just 39% of respondents in the poll said Trump was doing a good job managing the US economy, unchanged from a week earlier.Trump won the 2024 presidential election on a promise to bring about a golden age for the US economy, but his aggressive measures to reshape global commerce – including levying heavy tariffs on major trading partners – have increased the risks of recession, economists say.
Inflation rates in the United States soared under Biden but have been trending lower for several years. Some 33% of respondents in the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll gave Trump a thumbs up on how he was managing the cost of living, up from 31% a week earlier.
Many economists, however, expect inflation will heat back up as tariffs put pressure on the profits of importers. Trump on Saturday urged Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, to ”eat the tariffs” instead of blaming them for the retailer’s increased prices. He has urged the country’s independent central bank, the Federal Reserve, to lower interest rates, but central bankers have also expressed worry over the prospects of higher inflation.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll, carried out online and nationwide, surveyed 1,024 US adults May 16-18.
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