Donald Trump's approval rating on the economy is tanking – Newsweek
Published
Jun 09, 2026 at 06:55 PM EDT
updated
Jun 09, 2026 at 06:56 PM EDT
News Editor
President Donald Trump’s net approval rating on the economy has dipped to the lowest it’s ever been in either of his terms, a new poll from YouGov/The Economist shows on Tuesday.
Recent nationwide polling indicates that public confidence in Trump’s handling of the economy has fallen. According to the poll, only 29 percent of Americans say they strongly or somewhat approve of Trump’s management of the economy, while 63 percent disapprove.
This results in a net approval rating of -34 percent, the lowest recorded for Trump across both his first and second terms, YouGov’s Allen Houston said in a release sent to Newsweek on Tuesday in part. The figure combines polls that asked respondents about Trump’s handling of the economy broadly, as well as those that focused specifically on “jobs and the economy.”
The latest numbers represent a significant decline from the same stage of Trump’s first presidency. At this point during his first term, more Americans approved than disapproved of his economic performance, giving him a positive net approval rating of 8 percent, according to Houston.
The 42-point swing from positive to negative ratings highlights a substantial shift in public sentiment and suggests growing dissatisfaction with economic conditions or perceptions of the administration’s economic policies.
The poll was published by YouGov and The Economist after surveying 1,603 adult Americans from June 5-8, 2026, with a margin of error of 3.6 percent. It found:
On inflation, the president’s approval rating is 24 percent versus a 68 percent disapproval rating. Trump’s overall approval rating is 35 percent, and his disapproval rating is 60 percent.
White House Spokesman Kush Desai told Newsweek via email on Tuesday, “President Trump has always been clear about temporary disruptions as a result of Iran’s attempts to subvert the free flow of energy. The Administration has never lost focus, however, on implementing the President’s proven economic agenda on the home front. As these policies continue taking effect, and as the Iranian terror threat is neutralized, Americans will again see cooling inflation, gas prices at multi-year lows, and accelerated economic growth.”
Shifts in approval and disapproval ratings could signal broader erosion and complicate the Republican Party’s midterm strategies this year, especially as multiple trackers show Trump significantly underwater nationally.
The new poll comes amid Trump’s handling of Iran and foreign policy, and previously rising gasoline prices across the country.
A survey by the Harris Poll and HarrisX last month shows that Trump’s approval rating on the economy was 39 percent. The president’s overall approval rating is 43 percent versus a 53 percent disapproval rating. The poll was taken from May 29 to May 31 among 1,725 registered voters and had a 2.4 percent margin of error.
A Quinnipiac University poll last month found that 33 percent of voters approve of the job the president is doing on the economy and 64 percent disapprove. The poll surveyed 1,106 self-identified registered voters across the country from May 14 to May 18, 2026, and had a margin of error of 3.7 percent.
© 2026 Newsweek Digital LLC
