Sixty-two percent said prices, which as a candidate, Trump pledged to curb, are rising. Seventy-one per cent said they see his tariffs as a negative factor in price inflation. And just 31% in this poll, produced for ABC by Langer Research Associates with fieldwork by Ipsos, said they accept Trump’s argument that the economy will emerge with a stronger foundation for the long term.
Negative assessments go beyond the economy. Sixty-five per cent said Trump’s administration is trying to avoid complying with federal court orders, and 64% said he’s going too far in trying to expand presidential powers.
Sixty-two per cent said they don’t think his administration respects the rule of law.
Majorities also expressed concern that the president will do too much to reduce the size and role of government (58%), argued he’s acted beyond his authority as president without justification (56%) and doubted the Trump administration’s commitment to protecting citizens’ rights and freedoms (55%).
Anywhere from 57% to 67% of Americans said they disapprove of Trump’s performance on six of seven issues tested in this survey, including at least 6 in 10 on his handling of stock market volatility, tariffs, foreign relations and the economy overall.
Fewer, 53%, said they disapprove of his handling of immigration.
Six in 10 or more said they oppose various administration initiatives, peaking at 77% opposed to cuts in federal funding for medical research.
Seventy per cent were opposed to increasing the federal government’s role in how private universities are run, 67% were opposed to ending birthright citizenship, and 66% were opposed to closing the Department of Education.
In another gauge, 57% said Trump is “going too far” in closing federal agencies, and it’s about the same, 56%, in both laying off federal employees and taking action against his political opponents.
This eases to about half on ending diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, reflecting the public’s divide on whether DEI efforts help level the playing field (51%) or create unfair discrimination (47%).
In a positive for the president, more people said they believe waste throughout the federal government has decreased rather than increased under Trump, 43%-25%. The rest said it’s stayed the same.
That doesn’t carry over in perceptions of fraud: Thirty-four percent said they think this has increased, while 32% said it has decreased.
At 39%, Trump’s job approval rating is down from 45% in a Washington Post/Ipsos poll in February. It now almost exactly matches his average, 40%, across his first term — tied with Biden for the lowest presidential career average available, dating back to President Harry Truman.
Notably, just 21% now said they “strongly” approve of Trump’s work in office, his lowest percentage on record. About twice as many, 44%, said they strongly disapprove.
Trump’s approval rating from non-college-educated white men, a core support group, is 54%, tying his low in this group from his first term.
In another gauge of partisanship, 83% of Republicans said they approve of Trump’s work in office, while 93% of Democrats and 60% of independents said they disapprove.
A difference is that 51% of Republicans strongly approve of Trump, while 85% of Democrats strongly disapprove. So do 44% of independents, three times as many as those who strongly approve.
