...
By Sam Stevenson
Associate News Editor
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
President Donald Trump's approval rating on economic issues has dropped among independent voters, according to recent polling.
- Essential Reading: ICE Has a Blind Spot—and Not Just in Minneapolis
- Conventional Wisdom: Minneapolis ICE Shooting Edition
Newsweek contacted the White House for comment via email outside regular business hours.
Read More on Politics
Why It Matters
This trend signals potential challenges for Trump and the Republican Party ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Independents are a pivotal voting bloc, and their waning support could significantly affect the GOP's narrow hold on Congress and its broader legislative agenda.
...
What To Know
Three YouGov/Economist polls, conducted from early December through the start of January, show a fall in Trump's approval rating among independent voters—including those who lean toward a party—on his handling of the economy.
The findings mirror a broader pattern of eroding public confidence in Trump's leadership on issues such as health care, affordability, and the cost of living, raising questions about the administration's ability to address voter concerns as economic anxieties persist.
Between January 2 and 5, a survey of 1,551 U.S. adult citizens found that 20 percent of independents approved of Trump's handling of the economy, while 63 percent disapproved and 17 percent had no opinion. The poll carried a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percent.
In a December 20 to 22 survey of 1,592 American adults, 26 percent of independents expressed approval of how Trump was handling jobs and the economy, 56 percent disapproved, and 18 percent said they had no opinion. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.3 percent.
During December 5 to 8, a poll of 1,530 U.S. adults found independent approval on the economy at 25 percent, with 58 percent disapproving and 16 percent offering no opinion. The margin of error stood at plus or minus 3.3 percent.
These figures show a downward trend in independent approval of Trump's economic management over a month.
In early December, approval stood at 25 percent. It rose slightly to 26 percent later that month but fell sharply to 20 percent by early January.
Disapproval consistently remained above 56 percent and climbed to 63 percent in the latest poll, while the share of independents with no opinion stayed relatively stable between 16 and 18 percent.
These web-based surveys sampled U.S. adults from YouGov's opt-in panel, designed to be nationally representative.
Overall, the data suggests growing dissatisfaction among independents, a group often decisive in tightly contested elections, as the new year began.
Broader polling confirms this trend. A Gallup poll released on November 28 recorded independent approval of Trump at 25 percent, the lowest mark in either of his terms. Similarly, an NPR/PBS News/Marist poll on December 17 showed 30 percent of independents approved of how Trump was performing overall.
What People Are Saying
White House spokesperson Kush Desai told Newsweek in December: "President Trump and every member of his administration are clear-eyed about the fact that Americans continue to reel from the lingering effects of Joe Biden's generational economic crisis. Much work remains, and every member of the Trump administration continues to focus on recreating the historic job, wage, and economic growth that Americans enjoyed during President Trump's first term."
President Donald Trump defended his economic policies at a North Carolina campaign rally last month: "Eleven months ago, I inherited a mess, and I'm fixing it. We're poised for an economic boom the likes of which the world has never seen."
He wrote on Truth Social on December 30: "The polls are rigged even more than the writers. The real number is 64 percent, and why not, our Country is 'hotter' than ever before. Isn't it nice to have a STRONG BORDER, No Inflation, a powerful Military, and great Economy??? Happy New Year!"
Bill Galston, the chair of the governance studies program at the Brookings Institution, told the Los Angeles Times in December: "Trump was not shy about promising to lower prices on Day One. Not only do they not see prices coming down, but they don't believe he is focused on those problems, taking the type of bold steps they expected him to take on the economy."
What Happens Next
With approval among independents falling and economic anxiety remaining widespread, Trump and Republican leaders are likely to face intensified scrutiny as November's midterm elections approach.
With the economy, health care and cost of living expected to remain top voter concerns, Republicans and Democrats are likely to intensify efforts to win over disaffected swing voters in the months ahead.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines