President Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen to its lowest level during his second term, according to a recent poll. The drop comes amid criticism of his handling of the economy and the recent leak of a government chat.
The new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Trump’s approval rating at 43 percent, down 2 points from a similar survey in late March. When Trump took office on January 20, his approval rating was 47 percent.
In the latest poll, just 37 percent of people approved of Trump’s handling of the economy, and only 30 percent were happy with his approach to the rising cost of living.
The poll also found that 52 percent of Americans believed raising tariffs on cars and auto parts would harm people close to them. A similar number said Trump’s plan to raise tariffs overall would make things worse, not better. About a third of Republicans and those who lean Republican said they thought the tariffs would hurt the economy.
On Wednesday, Trump announced a new tariff plan, which includes a 10 percent tax on many imported goods. Countries like China face even higher tariffs, with a 54 percent rate. However, the U.S.’s main trading partners, Mexico and Canada, were not included in the new tariff package. They still face a 25 percent tariff, but items covered by the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement are exempt.
The poll also showed that many people were upset about the recent leak of a Signal chat involving Trump’s administration. The Atlantic reported that a top editor was accidentally added to a group chat where national security officials were discussing military strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen, which took place in mid-March.
A large majority of people, 74 percent, including 91 percent of Democrats and 55 percent of Republicans, said the officials acted “reckless” by discussing the military plans in that way. Only 22 percent thought it was harmless.
Regarding foreign policy, 34 percent of respondents approved of Trump’s handling, a 3-point drop from the previous survey. Nearly half of those surveyed, 48 percent, were satisfied with his handling of immigration.
