A fresh NPR/PBS News/Marist poll released Thursday reveals that President Trump's approval rating for handling the economy has fallen to 33 percent—three points lower than the worst marks former President Joe Biden received during his tenure. The survey underscores deepening public discontent over rising costs and stagnant wages, a sharp reversal from the economic tailwinds that helped Trump win the 2024 election.
Disapproval of Trump's economic stewardship now stands at 60 percent, including 65 percent of independents, 22 percent of Republicans, and 93 percent of Democrats. The numbers are a stark contrast to his first term, when his approval on the economy bottomed out at 47 percent in September 2019 and again in October 2020, according to the same poll.
Biden's worst economic approval in the survey came in February 2022, shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine sent inflation soaring. At the time, Biden acknowledged that “Americans are already hurting” but defended his administration's response in aiding Ukraine. Now, Trump faces his own inflation crisis, worsened by the U.S.-Iran conflict that erupted in February, which drove prices higher just as many households were already struggling with affordability.
Regina Kulenga, a 36-year-old Trump voter from Georgia, told NPR she feels betrayed by the president's economic policies. “The economy is suffering a lot right now, and I just feel like a lot of the things that he did promise, you know, we're still waiting,” she said. “Honestly, I was a big Trump supporter in the beginning… and I'm like, someone needs to do something about it because he's not doing anything right now for the economy but making things, I feel, in my opinion, a lot worse than what they were.”
The poll also found that two-thirds of American adults say rising costs have significantly impacted their summer vacation plans, with 49 percent citing costs as a reason not to travel. Still, 55 percent plan to take a vacation despite high prices. The annual inflation rate climbed to 4.2 percent in May—its highest point in three years—while the food index rose 3.1 percent over the past year, and gas prices peaked at $4.49 in mid-May, according to the Department of Labor.
Gas prices have since eased after the U.S. and Iran reached a preliminary deal to end their conflict, with the national average dipping to $3.99 as of Thursday, per AAA. But the broader economic picture remains grim for Trump, who campaigned heavily on restoring prosperity. The erosion of confidence among his own supporters, as reflected in the poll, could signal trouble ahead. GOP senators have criticized the Iran deal as a 'JCPOA-Plus' blunder, adding to the political headwinds.
The survey, conducted June 8-11 among 1,340 adults, carries a margin of error of 3.3 percentage points. It comes as Trump faces mounting pressure from both sides of the aisle. Democratic strategist James Carville has predicted Trump may quit by spring 2027 after a midterm rout, while Trump Jr. has accused Senator Ted Cruz of lying over an Iran reconstruction deal, highlighting internal GOP fractures.
