While the president doubles down on tariffs, his approval ratings are tanking.
President Donald Trump faces a 60 percent disapproval rating, his lowest since the immediate aftermath of Jan. 6, as he prepares for Tuesday’s State of the Union. A new poll from Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos published Sunday found that of that figure, 47 percent strongly disapprove of the 79-year-old president.
Most voters, 65 percent, believe Trump has overstepped his authority by signing a flurry of questionable executive orders in his first year. He is slipping in confidence on issues including his use of military force in other countries, his handling of the Epstein files, and ICE’s immigration raid tactics.
Inflation is the biggest issue that voters have with Trump, with 65 percent disapproving. Tariffs follow closely behind, with 64% of people disapproving of the president’s signature economic policy.
This tariff statistic aligns with a YouGov poll conducted and released after the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Trump’s tariffs. In a survey of 1,931 U.S. adults, 60 percent approved of SCOTUS’s ruling, while 66 percent believed tariffs increased the cost of goods.
Despite this, Trump introduced a 10 percent global tariff in the fallout of the SCOTUS loss. He claimed that it would be “effective almost immediately.”
“It is my Great Honor to have just signed, from the Oval Office, a Global 10% Tariff on all Countries, which will be effective almost immediately,” he posted on Truth Social Friday. By Saturday, Trump raised the tariff to 15 percent.
“During the next short number of months, the Trump Administration will determine and issue the new and legally permissible Tariffs, which will continue our extraordinarily successful process of Making America Great Again - GREATER THAN EVER BEFORE!!!” the president wrote.
The Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll found that voter confidence in Democrats is not much better. When asked if they trust Trump or Democrats to handle big issues, 33 percent said the president, while 31 percent said his opposing party. Another 31 percent said they trust neither.
These polling numbers come as Trump has been warned about the upcoming midterm elections. Republicans hold a small majority in the House, but Democrats have a chance at overtaking them. As Trump’s approval slips across the board, GOP pollsters expressed concern about how this will reflect on his party.
“When it’s above 50 percent, the party loses seats but not that many,” Whit Ayres told Politico of approval ratings. “When the president’s job approval is below, the average loss of seats is 32.”
