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In just three months of assuming office, US President Donald Trump achieved the highest approval rating of his presidency, according to a new
NBC News poll
. The survey, released on Sunday, also found that more Americans believe the country is on the right track than at any point since 2004.
However, despite the positive numbers, Trump has yet to win over a majority of Americans. His approval rating stands at 47 per cent, while 51 per cent disapprove of his leadership. This is the highest rating he has recorded in NBC’s polling history, matching previous peaks from early 2020 and October 2018.
One of the most striking shifts in the poll is a downturn in support for Trump’s handling of the economy. For the first time, a majority, 54 per cent, expressed disapproval of his economic policies. At the same time, voters largely feel Trump is bringing “the right kind of change” on key issues, including
tariffs
, despite recent turbulence in the stock market.
Trump’s controversial decision to impose a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian and Mexican imports, along with a 20 per cent tariff on China, led to a Wall Street selloff last week. Yet, the poll suggested that voters are still on board with his trade policies.
He got the highest votes for his handling of the immigration decisions, with 56 per cent of respondents saying his actions on border security were a positive change. Support was also relatively strong for his government cuts (47 per cent in favour versus 29 per cent opposed). Even on contentious international matters like the Ukraine war and NATO, more respondents backed his approach (41 per cent and 40 per cent approval, respectively) than opposed it.
The New York Post reported that while 40 per cent believe Trump’s policies are having a positive effect, 30 per cent feel they are making things worse, and 28 per cent say they haven’t made a difference.
Trump also enjoys overwhelming support among Republicans, with a staggering 90 per cent approval rating. In contrast, only 4 per cent of Democrats approve of his performance, the widest gap between a president’s own party and the opposition in 80 years, according to NBC.
A two-decade high of 44 per cent now say the country is on the right track, while 54 per cent believe it is not. While still negative overall, this marks the most optimistic national outlook since George W Bush’s presidency. Just last September, only 28 per cent of voters thought the country was on the right path.
One of Trump’s most talked-about initiatives in his second term has been the creation of the department of government efficiency (DOGE), aimed at reducing federal spending. The move sparked protests from government workers and drew sharp criticism from Democrats.
The NBC poll found that while DOGE is unpopular overall (47 disapprove while 41 per cent approve), voters generally believe the concept behind it was sound, with 46 per cent saying it was a good idea. Trump has remained firm in his support of DOGE, as well as his backing of Elon Musk, a key figure in the initiative.
While Trump has faced his share of challenges, the Democratic Party is struggling even more in the eyes of voters. Just 27 per cent view the party favourably, while 55 per cent see it in a negative light, marking its worst approval rating in NBC News’ polling history. A separate CNN poll mirrored these findings, giving Democrats their lowest rating ever, with only 29 per cent favourability.
The NBC News poll surveyed 1,000 registered voters between March 7 and 11.
English (US) · 