As President Donald Trump approaches the 100-day mark of his second term in the White House on Tuesday, new polling shows his approval rating is double-digits below his recent predecessors at the same point in their tenure.
Why It Matters
Trump entered office with a relatively high approval rating as voters hoped he would address economic concerns and undocumented immigration. While his polling on immigration remains positive, his approval on handling of the economy has tanked in recent weeks with the imposition of new tariffs and market turmoil.
Overall, the president’s approval rating has been on the decline since January. As he approaches his 100th day back in office this week, analysts and pundits will be reviewing his record thus far.
What To Know
New polling released by CNN on Sunday shows that Trump’s approval rating stands at 41 percent. That is 18 points under his disapproval rating, which stands at 59 percent—including 45 percent who disapprove strongly.
Comparatively, former Democratic President Joe Biden‘s approval hovered at 53 percent at the same point in 2021, according to CNN. That puts Biden’s approval at the 100-day mark 12 points ahead of Trump’s.
Former Presidents Barack Obama, a Democrat, and George W. Bush, a Republican, had even higher marks at the same point. Obama enjoyed a 63 percent approval rating and Bush was nearly the same, at 62 percent. That’s 22 points and 21 points ahead of Trump respectively.
Notably, Trump’s current approval rating is even lower than it was at the same point during his first term in office. At the end of April 2017, Trump’s approval rating stood at 44 percent—3 points higher than it is now.
The CNN poll included 1,678 U.S. adults and was carried out from April 17 to 24. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.
Another poll released by The Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos on Sunday showed Trump’s approval rating slightly higher, but on the decline.
In that survey, 42 percent of registered voters said they approved of Trump compared to the 48 percent who said they approved of him in February. The proportion of registered voters who disapprove of the president has swung from 51 to 55 percent.
That poll of 2,464 U.S. adults was conducted between April 18 to 22. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump on Truth Social on Sunday, referencing his planned rally in Michigan on Tuesday: “Thank you to my wonderful friends in Michigan’s Republican Delegation, and the many other incredible Republicans in Congress, who want to travel with me to celebrate our Historic First 100 Days on Tuesday. It is going be a TREMENDOUS day. I wish everyone could come with me…”
The president added: “We will unleash Economic Prosperity, and accelerate into the Golden Age of America.”
Jake Sullivan, who served as Biden’s national security adviser, when asked about the Trump administration on Sunday on ABC News’ This Week: “When you see the car start careening toward the cliff, you’ve gotta say something. And what I’ve seen in less than 100 days is terrible damage to America’s credibility and trust with our friends and allies, and terrible damage to America’s appeal in terms of our political system, our markets and innovation.”
Thomas Gift, an associate professor of political science and director of the Centre on U.S. Politics at University College London, previously told Newsweek: “Trump hasn’t earned himself many supporters with his handling of the tariff situation. It’s not only the policy that seems to irk voters, but also the apparent lack of strategy, the impulsive decision-making, and the inconsistent messaging from the White House.”
Heath Brown, an associate professor of public policy at City University of New York, previously told Newsweek: “The president’s signature policy in his first 100 days—introduction of large new tariffs—is unpopular with many Americans, including nearly half of Republicans who think it will harm the U.S. economy in the near term. It then is not surprising that the president’s popularity has dipped to the low levels shown in recent polls.”
What Happens Next?
How voters view Trump will likely change in the coming months and years, depending on how his economic other policies play out.
The upcoming 2025 election in Virginia as well as the 2026 midterm election will provide a clearer signal as to how voters view the president and his political party. Democrats hope to make major gains in upcoming elections, but recent polling shows the Democratic Party‘s popularity has sunk to historic lows.
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