Trump's approval ratings dip below 40% on economy and foreign policy

WASHINGTON: A Reuters/Ipsos poll has revealed that only one in three Americans approves of how President Donald Trump is tackling the cost of living in the US, highlighting growing concerns as his steep import tariffs begin to take effect. 

The two-day poll, carried out just before the Republican president was due to address a joint session of Congress, showed Trump’s approval ratings below 40% on a range of issues – including the economy, foreign policy, and corruption – with the notable exception being his 49% rating on immigration policy.

To be sure, the share of Americans who give him a thumbs up overall – steady at 44% – remains higher than the ratings achieved by his predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden, during the second half of his 2021-2025 administration.

The poll showed that 31% of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the cost of living, a marginal three percentage point decline from 34% in a poll conducted 21-23 February. Fifty-four per cent disapprove.

Trump has moved quickly to overhaul America’s relationships with the rest of the world, with steep 25% tariffs taking effect on Tuesday for Mexican and Canadian imports, as well as 20% tariffs on Chinese goods.

Economists say the tariffs will fuel inflation. Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election owed in part to widespread dissatisfaction at several years of high inflation under Biden. Only 31% of people polled agreed with a statement that tariffs would be a good idea even if prices increase.

Government reports last week pointed to persistently high inflation in January. When adjusted for higher prices, consumer spending posted its biggest decline since February 2021.

Moscow pivot

Trump has also pivoted to a closer relationship with Moscow and shut down military aid to Ukraine, which is defending itself from a full-scale Russian invasion.

The poll showed Americans were divided over Trump’s plan to condition Washington’s support for Ukraine on the US getting a share of Ukraine’s mineral wealth. Trump hopes to announce a deal over minerals at his speech before Congress, Reuters reported on Tuesday. Some 46% of respondents in the survey supported conditioning US aid on mineral wealth, compared to 50% who opposed the idea.

While Trump has appeared to blame Ukraine for starting the war, Americans generally see Russia as the aggressor in the conflict, the Reuters/Ipsos poll found. Some 70% of respondents – including three-quarters of Democrats and two-thirds of Republicans – agreed with a statement that Russia was more to blame than Ukraine for starting the war.

Trump has also shaken up the federal government by appointing Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, to overhaul its workforce, including by eliminating many civil service jobs in Trump’s first weeks in office.

While the Reuters/Ipsos poll showed that downsizing the federal government was broadly popular – 59% of respondents said they supported the idea – support for mass layoffs of civil service workers was decidedly lower. Only 40% of poll respondents said they backed firing tens of thousands of federal workers. Some 57% opposed, including about a quarter of self-identified Republicans.

Fifty per cent of people polled – including one in five Republicans and four out of five Democrats – said Trump had gone too far with the Musk-led programme to cut government spending.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll, conducted online and nationwide, surveyed 1,174 US adults and had a margin of error of three percentage points.