A new Reuters/Ipsos poll out May 13 shows President Donald Trump’s approval rating has improved slightly amid easing concerns about a recession.
Trump put up trade barriers on imports in the first few months of his term, including top partners Mexico, Canada and China. On “Liberation Day,” Trump announced additional “reciprocal tariffs” against dozens of countries. Tariffs on Chinese imports got hit with 145% tariff rates in total as China announced its own tariffs in retaliation.
But trade war tensions have eased slightly since the Trump administration announced a pause on the reciprocal tariffs and came to an agreement with China to lower the tariffs.
Some polls over the last few months have shown Americans’ unease about Trump’s approach to the economy, but the most recent results from Reuters indicate it could be improving.
Reuters poll: 44% of respondents approve of Trump’s job
Reuters/Ipsos surveyed 1,163 people nationwide from May 12-13, and the results had a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.
Forty-four percent of respondents approved of Trump’s job performance, up two points from a Reuters poll at the end of April, compared to 52% who disapprove.
Concerns over the economy also eased compared to previous polls by Reuters/Ipsos.
“Some 69% of respondents in the new poll said they were concerned about a recession, down from 76% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted April 16-21. The share who said they worried about the stock market fell to 60% from 67%,” Reuters reported.
What is President Donald Trump’s approval rating?
RealClearPolitics Poll Average shows the gap between Americans who approve of Trump’s job and those who disapprove is narrowing from about his 100-day mark, with his net approval rating becoming less negative.
As of Jan. 27, Trump received a +6.2 percentage point approval rating, but as of March 13, it flipped to slightly negative, the RealClearPolitics graphics shows, and widened over the following weeks until becoming the most negative on April 29 at -7.2 percentage points. His average approval rating as of May 14, according to RealClearPolitics, is -4.4 percentage points.
A historical analysis by Gallup shows Trump’s approval ratings in April in his first years in office − both as the 45th and 47th presidents − are lower than any other modern president at the same time in their administrations.
Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @kinseycrowley.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Recession concerns ease. What does that mean for Donald Trump’s approval rating?
Reporting by Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
