Trump’s Approval Rating Inching Near Two-Month High: Polls

President Donald Trump‘s approval rating has inched its way near a two-month high, polls from The Economist and YouGov show.

Why It Matters

Trump has routinely touted positive approval ratings and polls during news conferences and campaign rallies throughout his political career.

When the president returned to the White House in January, he coasted in with positive numbers. However, his approval ratings then dipped significantly amid sweeping tariff announcements. Trump later walked back the tariffs by announcing a 90-day pause for the majority.

Slipping in polls could ultimately hinder Trump’s political clout in an already highly polarized climate and potentially hurt Republican chances in the upcoming 2026 midterms.

What To Know

In a poll out on Tuesday, the president has a 44 percent approval rating among U.S. adult citizens, with a 52 percent disapproval rating. The survey was taken from May 23 to May 26 among 1,660 respondents with a 3.2 percent margin of error.

The president’s approval rating has not been this high with the pollster since a poll taken from March 30 to April 1, when Trump had a 46 percent approval rating and a 49 percent disapproval rating. That poll surveyed 1,626 respondents and had a 3.3 percent margin of error.

The previous week, Trump’s approval rating was also higher at 48 percent in a poll taken from March 22 to March 25, with a disapproval rating of 46 percent. This poll’s margin of error is 3.4 percent and was taken among 1,600 respondents.

In every poll taken by The Economist and YouGov between Tuesday and the week of March 30, the president’s approval rating did not land at or above 44 percent. Trump’s approval rating also fell to 41 percent in a survey taken from April 19 to April 22.

The president’s highest approval rating so far in his second term in The Economist and YouGov polling is 50 percent in a survey taken from February 16 to February 18.

Meanwhile, a recent Gallup poll shows Trump’s approval rating slipping with independents since taking office for his second term.

What People Are Saying

Political analyst and Dillard University Professor Robert Collins told Newsweek via text message on Tuesday: “The approval rating is inching up because the economy has stabilized and Trump has put a pause on his most draconian tariffs, which were unpopular.”

Collins continued: “However, if those draconian tariffs do go into effect, due to trade negotiations breaking down, and it causes prices to spike, then we can expect his approval rating to go back down. The current number is historically a little low for a president during this part of his second term, but not outside of the normal range.
Timing of approval ratings only matters when we are getting close to the midterms. A president with low approval ratings could damage his party’s chances in the House.”

“We know, historically, 18 out of the last 20 elections, the incumbent president’s party has lost seats in the house during the midterms,” Collins added. “That’s the norm. But the question of exactly how many seats they lose is normally dependent on the president’s approval rating at the time.”