Trump’s poll numbers sag near 100-day mark, raising tax-plan stakes
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A CNN poll showed that just 39 per cent of Americans approve of how Mr Trump has steered the US economy.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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WASHINGTON – Voter discontent with US President Donald Trump’s economic stewardship is sinking his popularity as he approaches the symbolic 100-day mark of his second term, ratcheting up pressure on congressional Republicans to pass his tax plan.
A flurry of polls in recent days from NBC, CNN, New York Times/Siena, ABC News and Fox News, among others, each reveal the same theme: Voters perceive Mr Trump to be falling short on his core campaign promise to strengthen the economy.
The president’s helter-skelter roll-out of tariffs
A CNN poll released on April 27 showed that just 39 per cent of Americans approve of how Mr Trump has steered the economy, the lowest of his two terms in the White House.
An NBC News poll showed tariffs were also deeply unpopular, with just 39 per cent of respondents agreeing with Mr Trump’s tariffs rollout.
Early on April 28, the president slammed the press for highlighting those numbers.
“We don’t have a Free and Fair “Press” in this Country anymore. We have a Press that writes BAD STORIES, and CHEATS, BIG, ON POLLS. IT IS COMPROMISED AND CORRUPT. SAD!,” he posted to his Truth Social account.
Mr Trump rode the twin issues of the economy and immigration to his November election victory
He cast his elixir for improving the economy as two-pronged, one being the tariffs that he wagers will spur a US manufacturing renaissance and the other being the extension of his 2017 tax plan, but with added incentives, like no taxes on tipped wages or overtime and the ability for car buyers to deduct interest on the loans.
Republicans aim to pass the tax package through a process that would not require any Democratic votes, meaning that Mr Trump along with House and Senate leadership has to keep the GOP members in lockstep in the face of voter angst.
Crucially, posturing for the 2026 midterm elections will soon take hold.
“In terms of immediate electoral impact, no. Trump’s softening at the margins doesn’t threaten his leadership or standing within the party,” said Mr Chris Wilson, a longtime Republican strategist. “Where it matters is in setting the broader tone for the GOP’s legislative and midterm posture.”
Pushing back
The US economy is set to expand 1.4 per cent in 2025 and 1.5 per cent in 2026, according to the latest Bloomberg survey of economists, compared with 2 per cent and 1.9 per cent in a survey in March.
The median respondent now sees a 45 per cent chance of a downturn in the next 12 months, up from 30 per cent in March.
The party in power typically loses congressional seats during midterm elections, and a recession would all but guarantee Republican losses in 2026 that could transfer control back to Democrats as Mr Trump serves out the second half of his term, according to Republican strategists.
That could also help keep Republicans united to pass the tax Bill, even as some factions disagree over spending and cost.
Mr Trump’s eroding poll numbers, though, could make it challenging for him to get everything that he wants in what he has dubbed the “big beautiful Bill”.
Mr Trump has sought to calm markets after the initial shock of his tariffs by pausing them for 90 days
He and top aides point to the prospect of reaching trade accords with other nations as a way to further ease market tensions and reassure voters.
The president lashed out in an April 24 Truth Social post after Fox News’ polls showed him with a 38 per cent approval rate on the economy and 33 per cent on inflation.
“Rupert Murdoch has told me for years that he is going to get rid of his Fox News, Trump Hating, Fake Pollster, but he has never done so. This ‘pollster’ has gotten me, and MAGA, wrong for years,” Mr Trump wrote.
Mr Trump’s strongest polling issue is on immigration in most polls.
Upcoming public appearances should help Mr Trump reconnect with voters, gain energy from his base and sell his economic plan, according to people in Mr Trump’s orbit.
Mr Trump is set to hold a rally in Michigan on April 29 to mark the 100-day milestone, and he is scheduled to deliver the commencement address at the University of Alabama on May 1. BLOOMBERG
