Trump's Popularity Falls Below First Term: "Economic Policy Approval at 31%"

Significant Drop from 40% in March
Lowest Level Across Both Terms
Rising Unemployment and Inflation Cited as Factors

U.S. President Donald Trump is signing an executive order related to artificial intelligence (AI) policy at the White House Oval Office on the 11th (local time). Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

The approval rating among American voters for the economic management of Donald Trump’s second administration has fallen to 31%, marking the lowest level across both his first and second terms.

According to a survey conducted by the Associated Press and the University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center (NORC) from December 4 to 8 (local time), 31% of 1,146 adults nationwide said they supported President Trump’s handling of the economy. This represents a significant decline from 40% in March. The AP reported that this is the lowest figure recorded during both Trump’s first and second terms.

Even among Republican supporters, 69% gave a positive assessment of his economic management, down from 78% previously. Among Democratic supporters, only 7% viewed it positively, highlighting a pronounced partisan divide.

This cooling public sentiment appears to be closely linked to recent trends in the U.S. economy. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the U.S. private sector unemployment rate in September was 4.4%, up 0.4 percentage points from January. This is the highest level in three years and eleven months, since October 2021, when the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic were still being felt.

The inflation reduction target that Trump set during last year’s presidential campaign also remains unmet. The annual inflation rate for September stood at 3%, the same as in January. Compared to the previous year, this is an increase of 0.6 percentage points. Notably, food and energy prices rose by 3.1% and 2.8%, respectively, both higher than in January. President Trump’s tariff policy has long been predicted to inevitably drive up domestic prices in the United States.

Support for Trump has also dropped sharply in areas he once touted as strengths, such as immigration and crime control. Approval for his immigration policy fell from 49% to 38%, while support for his crime control measures dropped from a majority to 43%. Overall job approval for Trump was recorded at 36%, down from 42% previously.