WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump’s approval ratings on the economy have eroded over the past month as prices rise due to the Iran war, and even Republicans are losing confidence in his leadership, according to a new Associated Press-NORC poll.
discoveries from Associated Press-NORC Public Affairs Research Center The film depicts a president struggling with unfulfilled promises to curb inflation and testing the patience of the American people as the conflict in the Middle East drags on longer than expected.
President Trump’s approval rating on the economy fell to 30% in April from 38% a year earlier. March AP-NORC Poll. The share of U.S. adults who approve of the president’s leadership on Iran is similarly low, at 32%, unchanged from last month.
The poll was conducted from April 16th to 20th. Strait of Hormuz reopened Then by Iran closed againan example of the whiplash that characterized the conflict.
Presidential policies and statements often contradict each other. Gasoline prices — he promised to cut it — spiked after the U.S. attacked Iran in February. Despite his boasts of a “golden age,” tariffs have stalled much of the economy and employment is stagnant.
Just 33% of American adults approve of Trump’s overall job performance, down slightly from 38% last month.
President Trump’s declining approval ratings could pose problems for his party as it seeks to protect its majorities in the House and Senate in the midterm elections. Polls show that Trump is particularly vulnerable to the cost of living, and that enthusiasm for his accomplishments has waned over the past year among his supporters.
Kathryn Bright, 60, a retired U.S. Air Force captain, regrets supporting Trump in the last election.
“I feel disgusted with myself and betrayed. It’s like he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” she said.
Bright lives in a small, remote town on the Colorado prairie and has several disabling medical conditions. She was initially drawn to President Trump because of his promises to support veterans, avoid foreign wars and cut costs.
“It’s like being class president in high school: ‘I promise to eat pizza every day,'” Bright said. “And as soon as they get elected, they say, ‘Oh, I lied.'”
The majority of Americans do not support President Trump on the cost of living.
In a sign of how unpopular President Trump’s approach on prices has become, the poll found that only about a quarter of American adults approve of his response to the cost of living.
consumer price index 3.3% increase in March Compared to a year ago, inflation is slightly higher than the 3% that President Trump inherited when he returned to the White House last year. But Trump has shown little concern for inflation, downplaying rising energy costs from the war that has prompted Iran to effectively blockade the Strait of Hormuz to oil and gas tankers.
President Trump on Tuesday dismissed the war as a “little trip” and said the roughly 35% rise in oil prices was a positive compared to what he expected.
In an interview with CNBC, he said he was “surprised” that oil prices were only around $90 a barrel, compared to the $200 he had expected.
Public disillusionment with that attitude is visible among his own supporters. Only about half of Republicans approve of President Trump’s handling of the cost of living.
Young Republicans are particularly dissatisfied. About 6 in 10 Republicans under the age of 45 disapprove of President Trump’s spending strategy, compared with about 4 in 10 older Republicans.
Many Republicans who identify as supporters of the “Make America Great Again” movement remain largely supportive of the president. About 9 in 10 MAGA Republicans approve of Trump’s job performance, while 44% of MAGA non-Republicans approve of Trump’s cost of living, compared to about 7 in 10 MAGA Republicans.
Miguel Cortez, 67, a retired aircraft mechanic who lives in South Carolina, believes the price hikes caused by tariffs and the Iran war are just a temporary compensation. Regarding rising gasoline prices, he said, “That’s the way it is. I’m not going to complain.” “People just have to deal with it.”
“I believe deep down in my soul that God put him there for a reason,” Cortez said. He has a “Make America Great” tin sign in his garage near the National Rifle Association plaque.
Americans are becoming more pessimistic about the US economy
About three-quarters of U.S. adults said the U.S. economy was in “very” or “somewhat” trouble in April, up from about two-thirds in February.
The drop in confidence comes as the economy remains unstable and gas prices are higher than ever. The financial markets for stocks, bonds, and oil continue to be on a roller-coaster ride, with U.S. President Donald Trump’s assertions that one day there will be peace with Iran, and the next he threatens to destroy entire civilizations.
Americans like Heidi Bunting, 35, a student with two children, are finding themselves unable to afford basic needs like health care and transportation.
“This is terrible, and I’m not alone,” said Bunting, who lives in Bowling Green, Ohio. “I’m convinced that the only people doing well in this economy are the people who started with a lot of money.”
Support for the economy declines among independents and Republicans
Despite efforts to tout last year’s tax cuts and allay economic concerns, Mr. Trump’s economic approval remains low among independents and is declining among Republicans.
The latest poll found that about 2 in 10 independents approve of President Trump’s performance on the economy, down slightly from about 3 in 10 in March. A much larger number of Republicans (62%) have a positive view of President Trump’s handling of the economy, but this is also down from 74% last month.
Republicans are generally less enthusiastic about President Trump’s overall performance than they were immediately after taking office. In March 2025, 51% of Republicans “strongly” approved of his handling of the presidency, but that number has now fallen to 38%.
Immigration, another signature issue of President Trump, is a relatively bright spot for the president. About 4 in 10 U.S. adults approve of his work on this issue, unchanged from last month and higher than overall support.
President Trump’s approval rating is tied with his predecessor Joe Biden’s lowest approval rating (36%) in the AP-NORC poll, which was recorded in July 2022 after inflation soared to a 40-year high. Mr. Biden’s approval ratings have rebounded slightly as inflation eases, but questions have arisen about whether Mr. Trump can quickly regroup to show tangible progress.
Trump took office last year with a relatively low approval rating (42% as of March 2025), but has maintained a fairly stable approval rating thus far.
___
Bidain reported from Austin.
___
The AP-NORC poll of 2,596 adults was conducted April 16-20 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all adults is plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.
