Trump Approval Steady but Negative as Democrats Hold Lead
US President Donald Trump on the roof of his Oval Office on Tuesday! (Image The White House)
51% disapprove of Trump’s job performance; economy views improve but inflation remains a major drag
By TRH Global Affairs Desk
NEW DELHI, August 14, 2025 — US President Donald Trump’s overall approval rating remains in negative territory, with 51% disapproving and 46% approving, according to the latest CNBC All-America Economic Survey conducted July 29–August 3.
While the numbers are little changed from April’s 51%-44%, they highlight persistent divides: Republicans remain firmly supportive, Democrats overwhelmingly opposed, and half of independents disapproving.
On the economy, Trump fares slightly better but is still underwater — 45% approve versus 53% disapprove — an improvement from April’s 43%-55%. This marks the second straight survey where his economic rating is weaker than his overall approval, a reversal from his first term when a strong economy buoyed his numbers.
“He cannot rely on that at this point,” Jay Campbell, partner at Hart Research, the survey’s Democratic pollster, told CNBC.
Approval on individual issues shows a similar pattern: of seven key policy areas, Trump is in positive territory only on border security measures (53%-44%). “The public is evenly split on deportations (49%-49%), but disapproves of his handling of foreign policy (-14), federal spending (-19), taxes (-13), and inflation (-23). Inflation approval stands at just 37%, unchanged since April, with 60% saying their incomes are falling behind the cost of living,” reported the broadcaster.
Still, economic sentiment shows some improvement. CNBC said that 31% now describe the economy as excellent or good — the best reading since early in the Biden administration — and stock market optimism has surged, with a net +4 percentage point view that it’s a good time to invest, up sharply from -15 points in April. Even 36% of non-investors share that sentiment, a record high for that group.
Despite these gains, Democrats hold their largest preference lead for congressional control since 2021, with registered voters favouring them 49%-44%, up from 48%-46% in April. Yet the party’s favourability rating collapsed to a net -32 points (24% positive, 56% negative) — the lowest for either major party in data going back to at least 1996, added CNBC.
Micah Roberts, the Republican pollster for the survey, told CNBC that the results capture “a country that’s in a shifting moment across all of these issues,” noting that economic optimism has not erased deep concerns over inflation and government spending.
The survey of 1,000 adults carries a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points.
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