Zum Inhalt springen
Home » Trump’s approval rating is steady at 48%

Trump’s approval rating is steady at 48%

Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW) today released the results of the April Harvard CAPS / Harris poll, a monthly collaboration between the Center for American Political Studies at Harvard (CAPS) and the Harris Poll and HarrisX.

President Donald Trump’s approval rating is steady at 48%, with the highest approval on his handling of immigration (51%) and reducing the cost of government (50%), and the lowest on his handling of inflation (41%) and tariffs and trade policy (41%). This month’s poll also covered public opinion on the economy, stock market, government efficiency, and Middle East, as well as an in-depth study on Americans‘ views of Trump’s recent tariff policies. Download key results here.

„Trump is perhaps making one of the biggest gambles of his presidency but voters are willing to give him some time,“ said Mark Penn, Co-Director of the Harvard CAPS / Harris poll and Stagwell Chairman and CEO. „Tariffs have raised some questions as inflation remains everyone’s top concern but immigration and government efficiency continue to see positive support.“

INFLATION AND THE ECONOMY REMAIN TOP ISSUES FOR VOTERS

  • 39% of voters say the country is on the right track, down 2 points from March 2025 (Democrats: 20%; Republicans: 69%; Independents: 27%).
  • 45% of voters say their personal financial situation is getting worse (+4), especially among Democrats and Independents, women, Hispanics, and voters over 55 y.o.
  • The Democratic Party’s approval rating has bounced back to November 2024 levels at 42% (+5 pts., March 2025) but remains 9 points lower than Republican Party approval at 51%.
  • Inflation and the economy remain the top two issues for voters. Less voters say immigration is a top issue facing the country (-3) while more say taxes are a top issue (+4).

MAJORITY OF VOTERS CONTINUE TO SUPPORT MOST OF TRUMP’S POLICIES

  • The majority of voters continue to support Trump’s policies. Deporting illegal immigrants who have committed crimes (74%), closing the border (70%), and eliminating waste in government expenditures (69%) have the highest support among voters; and renaming the Gulf of Mexico (37%) and tariffs on China, Mexico, and Canada (50%) have the lowest.
  • 52% of voters say Trump is doing a better job than Biden (-2 pts., March 2025; -6 pts., February).
  • 56% of voters believe Trump is just pushing his agenda as fast and wide as it can rather than intentionally overwhelming the courts with the rapid pace of his policies.
  • 43% of voters, a plurality, say Trump is doing worse than expected (Democrats: 68%; Republicans: 18%; Independents: 46%).
  • 61% of voters say Democrats should take more of a wait-and-see attitude. 48% of voters say Democrats should oppose his tariffs and trade policy rather than see how his initiative plays out over the next few weeks.

VOTERS SPLIT OVER TRUMP’S TARIFFS BUT SAY THEY ARE THE RIGHT IDEA AND REQUIRE MORE PATIENCE TO WORK

  • 47% of voters oppose Trump’s tariff program while 45% support it. 
  • 48% of voters say the Trump administration’s tariff policies are the right idea but require more patience to work.
  • 47% of voters say the tariffs have had no impact on them so far, but more voters say the tariffs have hurt (38%) rather than helped (15%) them.
  • Voters cite increase in prices of everyday purchases (41%) and their retirement money at risk (24%) as the top two ways the tariff policies have affected them.

MAJORITY OF VOTERS SUPPORT CUTTING GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURES BUT BELIEVE MUSK SHOULD RESIGN WHEN UP FOR RENEWAL

  • 61% of voters believe the current level of U.S. federal government debt is unsustainable (-7) (Democrats: 62%; Republicans: 51%; Independents: 70%), but 42% of voters are unsure by how much.
  • The majority of voters continue to support balancing the budget in the next few years (81%).
  • 67% of voters support the goal of cutting $1 trillion of government expenditures, but 57% of voters do not believe Elon Musk and DOGE will be able to hit the goal by the end of the year.
  • 58% of voters say DOGE is helping make major cuts in government expenditures (+2).
  • But 55% of voters say Musk and DOGE have gone about making government spending cuts in the wrong way. 58% of voters believe Musk should resign after his 6-month special government employee status is up for renewal.

VOTERS WANT TRUMP TO OPEN NUCLEAR WEAPONS NEGOTIATIONS WITH IRAN BUT DO NOT THINK THEY WILL LEAD TO A DEAL

  • 75% of voters support Israel over Hamas in the conflict (-2), with 51% of voters 18-24 y.o. favoring Hamas.
  • 51% of voters support Trump’s handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict so far (-3).
  • 71% of voters say Iran’s nuclear weapons facilities should be destroyed including a majority across parties and age groups. 58% believe the U.S. should support Israel in airstrikes aimed at such a mission (Democrats: 45%; Republicans: 73%; Independents: 54%).
  • 60% of voters support Trump opening direct negotiations with Iran over their nuclear weapons, though 44%, a plurality, think such negotiations will not lead to a deal (Democrats: 46%; Republicans: 37%; Independents: 49%).
  • 39% of voters, a plurality, say the 2016 U.S.-Iran Nuclear deal negotiated by the Obama administration was not successful (Democrats: 25%; Republicans: 50%; Independents: 40%).

The April Harvard CAPS / Harris poll survey was conducted online within the United States on April 9-10, 2025, among 2,286 registered voters by The Harris Poll and HarrisX. Follow the Harvard CAPS / Harris poll podcast at https://www.markpennpolls.com/ or on iHeart Radio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other podcast platforms.