The American public is becoming more dissatisfied with how President Donald Trump is handling the economy, with one poll showing a majority disapproval for the first time ever.
An NBC News survey of 1,000 registered voters found that 54 percent said they disapprove of Trump’s job performance on the economy. The poll was conducted between March 7 and 11, and the results have a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
The news network said this was the first time Trump has received a majority negative view of his handling of the economy in national NBC News polling.
Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment via email.
Why It Matters
Voters trusting Trump to handle and improve the economy over former Vice President Kamala Harris was seen as pivotal to the Republican‘s 2024 election victory. The polling suggests there is public frustration that the president is not following through with his campaign promises amid fears of a potential recession and ongoing major tariff plans on international imports.
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One while flying to Washington, DC, from Florida, on March 16, 2025, above Virginia.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images
What to Know
The NBC News poll, released Sunday, shows that while Trump’s overall approval rating of 47 percent is among the highest ever scores for him as president, voters are concerned about the state of the economy.
More than half (54 percent) said they disapprove of how Trump is handling the economy, compared to 44 percent who approve. More voters also expressed disapproval of how the Republican president is handling inflation and the cost of living (55 percent) against 42 percent saying they approve.
The poll also shows that 18 percent of voters believe the economy is currently in a “good” or “excellent” state. In comparison, 43 percent believe the economy is in a poor state and nearly four in 10 (39 percent) of poll respondents said they think the state is in a “fair” condition.
Other polls have suggested that voters are becoming more concerned with Trump’s handling of the economy since he reentered the White House on January 20.
A CNN poll, released March 12, found that 56 percent of the public disapproves of his handling of the economy. This figure is higher than at any point during Trump’s first term in office, according to CNN polling.
The CNN survey was conducted by SSRS from March 6 to 9 among 1,206 U.S. adults. The results have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.
A recent YouGov/Economist poll showed that 43 percent of U.S. adults approve of Trump’s handling of jobs and the economy, compared to 47 percent who disapprove. In a previous late January poll, nearly half (49 percent) said they backed Trump’s handling of the economy, while 37 percent disapproved.
Between the two polls, there has been a 10-point increase in those expressing disapproval of Trump’s handling of the economy in just over a month.
The latest YouGov/Economist poll was conducted March 9-11 among 1,699 U.S. adults. The results have a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.
What People Are Saying
Kristen Hopewell, an economist and director of the University of British Columbia’s Liu Institute for Global Issues, previously told Newsweek: “There’s no state that won’t be harmed by Trump’s tariffs—but some will be hit even harder than others. Tariffs on steel and aluminum will raise costs for manufacturers across the U.S., undermining their competitiveness. This will hurt the biggest hubs of American manufacturing—California, Texas, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, Indiana, Wisconsin, and North Carolina—hardest.”
Mark A. DiPlacido, policy adviser at conservative think tank American Compass, wrote in a March 17 opinion piece for Newsweek: “The tariffs President Trump levied under his first administration raised more than $230 billion in revenue while reducing U.S. dependence on tariffed goods and avoiding inflation. Given the persistence of the U.S. trade deficit, President Trump is right to take tariffs to the next level. Whether through a simple global tariff of 10-20 percent—which could raise as much as $2.2 trillion in revenue over 10 years—or a wider set of reciprocal tariffs based on our trade balance with each foreign nation, the United States must assert its economic interests against the unfair practices of our trading partners.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, responding to a question about a potential recession on NBC News’ Meet the Press on Sunday, said: “There are no guarantees. Like, who would’ve predicted COVID? I can predict that we’re putting in robust policies that will be durable. And could there be an adjustment? Because I tell you that this massive government spending that we’ve had, if that had kept going, we would have to wean our country off of that.”
President Donald Trump, in a February 2 post on Truth Social, wrote: “THIS WILL BE THE GOLDEN AGE OF AMERICA! WILL THERE BE SOME PAIN? YES, MAYBE (AND MAYBE NOT!). BUT WE WILL MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, AND IT WILL ALL BE WORTH THE PRICE THAT MUST BE PAID. WE ARE A COUNTRY THAT IS NOW BEING RUN WITH COMMON SENSE — AND THE RESULTS WILL BE SPECTACULAR!!!”
What Happens Next
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said that Trump’s tariff plans against Canada and Mexico will harm U.S. GDP growth.
The OECD said Monday that U.S. economic growth is projected to be 2.2 percent in 2025 and 1.6 percent in 2026. These figures are down from previous forecasts of 2.4 percent and 2.1 percent respectively.
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