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New polling shows that President Donald Trump’s approval rating is at its lowest level in his second term so far, rivaling the lowest points he reached during his first term.
The Economist/YouGov poll is published weekly and asks respondents whether they approve or disapprove of whichever president is in office. In its latest findings, which were published on Tuesday, the poll found that only 39 percent of Americans currently approve of Trump’s job as president, while a staggering 58 percent say they disapprove.
With a net rate of -19 points, Trump’s approval rating has never been worse during his second term as president, the polling outfit reported. In fact, Trump has only polled worse during one point in his first term in office, making this his second-worst approval rating in both of his terms combined.
The survey noted that Trump is getting negative marks on nearly every major issue. Trump polls negatively on immigration, for example, attaining a -10-point net approval rating. He also polls in the negatives on abortion (-17 points), education (-19 points), jobs/the economy (-22 points), climate change/environment (-22 points), and inflation/consumer prices (-31 points).
His recent executive actions are also viewed poorly by the American public — he receives a net-31-point approval rating on his decision to cancel trade talks with Canada, a -36-point rating on his demolition of the East Wing of the White House to build a new ballroom, a -44-point rating for his choice to commute the sentence of George Santos, and -44-point rating on his demands to be compensated over past federal investigations into his actions.
Meanwhile, movements against Trump are viewed positively by a plurality of respondents in the poll. Asked about how they view the nationwide “No Kings” protests, 49 percent of Americans said they approved of the demonstrations, while only 33 percent said they disapproved. (Eighteen percent said they weren’t sure how they felt.) Close to 1 in 10 Americans (8 percent) also said they themselves participated in the protests.
That number is significant because of a concept called the “3.5 percent rule.” According to research at Harvard Kennedy School’s Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights, nonviolent protests that engage at least 3.5 percent of the population have a higher likelihood of accomplishing their aims — indeed, worldwide movements that reach that threshold “have never failed to bring about change,” researchers said.
Despite his dismal approval ratings, Trump wrote on Truth Social earlier this week that he has “the best Polling Numbers that I have ever received.” He further claimed that “Radical Left Losers are taking fake ads, not showing REAL Polls, but rather saying that I’m Polling at low levels,” and that such ads “should not be allowed to run.”
However, the Economist/YouGov poll is not an anomaly, as several polls similarly show that Trump is faring poorly among voters. A slew of Gallup polls, for example, consistently show Trump’s approval numbers in the low 40s, while a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll showed him with a -17-point net approval rating.
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