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By Martha McHardy
US News Reporter
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President Donald Trump is seeing a resurgence in public support, with his approval rating ticking upward after a month of decline.
According to the latest survey conducted by RMG Research, a Republican-leaning pollster, Trump's approval rating currently stands at 52 percent, while 48 percent disapprove, giving him a net approval rating of 4 points.
That is Trump's highest net approval rating since he introduced his Liberation Day tariffs on April 2. The poll was conducted between May 7-15 among 3,000 registered voters and had a margin of error of +/- 1.8 percentage points.
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That net approval rating is up 4 points from the previous poll conducted by RMG Research on the first week of May, which showed that 49 percent approved of Trump's job performance, while 49 percent also approved. Meanwhile, it was up 3 points from a poll conducted at the end of April, which put his approval rating at 49 percent, with 48 percent disapproving.
Why It Matters
Recent weeks have seen Trump's approval ratings slide amid anxiety about the impact of his Liberation Day tariffs, which saw markets temporarily crash before bouncing back days later.
But after a sharp decline driven by economic anxiety, a recovery in his numbers suggests the president may be stabilizing his base and regaining control of the political narrative.
If the trend continues, it could bolster Republican momentum, complicate Democratic strategy and reignite fears among Trump critics about the durability of his influence.
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What To Know
Newsweek's tracker also shows that Trump's approval rating is ticking back up, with his approval rating currently standing at 47 percent, while 50 percent disapprove.
Last week, Trump's approval rating stood at 44 percent, while his disapproval was firmly in the 50s.
And the latest Reuters/Ipsos survey, conducted on May 12 and 13, had 44 percent approving of his job performance, a 2-point increase from the previous poll conducted April 25 to 27.
The latest TIPP Insights poll, conducted April 30 to May 2 among 1,400 adults, found Trump's net approval at -5 (42 percent approve, 47 percent disapprove), a slight improvement from -7 in early April.
Some polls have also shown positive signs for Trump on the economy, with the Reuters/Ipsos survey showing that his approval rating on the issue stands at 39 percent, up from 36 percent in the previous survey.
Economic anxiety also saw a significant decline—though it remains prevalent. In the new poll, 69 percent of respondents said they were concerned about a recession, down from 76 percent in the previous one.
Similarly, the share of people worried about stock market instability fell from 67 percent to 60 percent.
But most respondents said they would hold Trump responsible for any potential economic downturn, despite his efforts to blame his predecessor Joe Biden for economic declines, arguing that inflation surged under the latter's administration.
According to the poll, 59 percent said it would be Trump's fault if a recession occurred this year, while 37 percent would place the blame on former President Biden.
However, a Napolitan News survey conducted on May 12–13 among 1,000 registered voters suggests that many voters may not be feeling the impact of the economic downturn as sharply as expected. The poll showed that 31 percent of voters now say their personal finances are improving, the highest percentage recorded in four years. The same number of respondents said their finances were getting worse.
That's a substantial jump from just two weeks ago, when 25 percent reported improving finances and 36 percent said their finances were getting worse, and a reversal from preelection polling in late 2024, when 41 percent said their financial situation was getting worse, while 25 percent said their financial situation was improving.
This marks the first time since July 2021 that optimism about personal finances is no longer underwater.
It comes after the Labor Department reported a cooling of annual price increases in April.
In addition, China and the U.S. have agreed to cut their reciprocal tariffs for 90 days this week by 115 percentage points, which had an immediate positive effect on the stock market.
Yet the broader trend remains one of stagnation more than resurgence. Trump's approval ratings have not improved dramatically since mid-April, but neither have they deteriorated further. A YouGov poll conducted May 6–8 pegs his approval at 42 percent, unchanged from the prior week, while disapproval ticked down slightly from 52 to 50 percent.
And in the latest YouGov/The Economist poll, conducted May 9–12 among 1,850 adults, Trump's overall approval rating increased by 1 point to 43 percent, while his disapproval rating remained at 52 percent.
Similarly, a Quantus Insights survey from May 5–7 showed no significant movement, reinforcing the idea that Trump's numbers have stabilized—for now.
Some polls still show that voters don't trust Trump on the economy following the fallout from his Liberation Day tariffs.
In the latest Echelon Insights poll, conducted between May 8-12 among 1,000 likely voters, Trump's net approval rating on the economy slid, with disapproval rising 2 points since April from 52 to 54 percent, while his approval rating remained the same at 44 percent.
In a Quantus poll last week, 51 percent of respondents said they disapprove of Trump's handling of tariffs and trade policy. Inflation also remains a thorn—with 42 percent saying they approve of his handling of the issue.
The Echelon Insights poll also suggested fewer people now think the economic situation in the U.S. is getting worse, with only 50 percent saying so, down from 52 percent. And 36 percent now think the economic situation is improving, up from 30 percent, suggesting that fears about a possible recession may be dying down slightly.
How Donald Trump's Approval Rating Compares to His First Term
The RealClearPolitics tracker showed that on May 17, 2017, Trump's approval rating was 40 percent, while his disapproval rating was 55 percent. This gave him a net approval rating of -15 points, making Trump more popular now than at the same point in his first stint in the Oval Office.
How Donald Trump's Approval Rating Compares to Joe Biden's
Trump's 47 percent approval rating is lower than that of former President Joe Biden at the same point in his presidency. On May 17, 2021, Biden stood at 54 percent, with a disapproval rating of 42 percent, according to RealClearPolitics.
While Trump began his second term with his highest approval ratings to date, according to Gallup's first poll of Trump's second term, conducted between January 21 and 27, he was still less popular than any president since 1953 at the start of a term and the only one to begin with a sub-50 percent approval rating. Gallup said Biden started his first term with a 57 percent approval rating.
And, according to data compiled from Gallup by The American Presidency Project, Trump ranks far below other recently elected presidents after 100 days, dating back to Eisenhower, who had an approval rating of 73 percent.
Other recently elected presidents saw higher approval ratings at the 100-day mark, including John F. Kennedy, 83 percent; Richard Nixon, 62 percent; Jimmy Carter, 63 percent; Ronald Reagan, 68 percent; George H.W. Bush, 56 percent; Bill Clinton, 55 percent; George W. Bush, 62 percent; and Barack Obama, 65 percent.
What Happens Next
Trump's approval rating could fluctuate in the coming weeks, depending on the outcome of key events, including critical negotiations in the Russia-Ukraine war, the evolving tariff situation and concerns about a recession.
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