Donald Trump lost ground with the American public on a host of issues in March, a new poll has found.
Trump, on top of struggling to sell to taxpayers his multi-billion-dollar war against Iran, has been facing souring views on the economy, inflation in particular. A Harvard Caps-Harris poll conducted last week shows those and other problem areas are only getting worse for him.
In March, the 79-year-old president’s approval rating fell in nine key areas: the economy, immigration, foreign affairs, administering the government, handling inflation, reducing the cost of the government, returning America to its values, tariffs and trade policy, and fighting crime in America’s cities.
On the economy, for instance, Trump’s approval rating dropped five points to 40 percent—the lowest mark since he took office last January. Regarding his handling of inflation, Trump fell even further: from 44 percent to 38 percent.
Respondents also took a more pessimistic view of the economy. While 38 percent had said last month that the economy was on the right track, less than one-third—32 percent—felt the same in March.
Similarly, five percent more people—45 percent—indicated that their personal financial situation has worsened.
When asked whether the country as a whole was on the right track, 35 percent agreed, down three points from February.
Also notable is how certain demographics have fallen away from Trump, whose approval rating overall dropped from 46 percent to 43 percent. Among Republicans, 79 percent currently support Trump, the poll found, while 85 percent did in February. Among 18- to 24-year-olds, the numbers were worse: 25 percent back the president now, but 38 percent did a month ago.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the online poll, which was conducted among 2,009 registered voters and has a margin of error of two percent.
Trump, 79, last week claimed that the Iran war was actually helping his standing with the public.
“I think I’m more popular than I ever have been,” he told Fox News.
But a Fox poll showed Trump with a 59 percent unapproval rating, which is the highest of his second term.
