Trump Economic Approval Hits Record Low at 33 Percent
Cover image from npr.org, which was analyzed for this article
A new NPR/PBS/Marist poll showed record-low American approval of President Trump's economic handling, including among some former supporters. Dissatisfaction spans multiple demographics amid ongoing policy debates.
PoliticalOS
Thursday, June 18, 2026 — Politics
The NPR/PBS/Marist poll shows Trump's economic approval at 33 percent, his lowest since 2019, with slippage among former supporters and independents tied to affordability concerns. Gas prices continue to affect most households even after recent declines. Overall job approval has also reached a second-term low of 36 percent.
What outlets missed
The Intercept article addressed an unrelated immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis rather than the poll, omitting any economic data. PBS and NPR both omitted granular crosstabs on personal financial pessimism contained in the full Marist release. Neither outlet compared the single-poll result against other contemporaneous surveys or examined question wording effects on the economy item. Gas price attribution to specific policies received limited sourcing beyond respondent perception.
Americans express growing frustration with President Trump's handling of the economy, with approval falling to its lowest level since tracking began in 2019. A new NPR/PBS/Marist poll conducted June 8-11 found 33 percent approve of his performance on the issue while 60 percent disapprove.
The survey of 1,340 adults carries a margin of error of 3 percentage points. The 33 percent approval mark sits within the margin of error of Trump's prior low earlier in the year and falls below any rating former President Biden received on the economy. In December 2020, half of Americans approved of Trump's economic management.
Gas prices remain a visible pressure point. Seventy-eight percent of respondents said prices affected their household budgets. Average prices have dropped about 40 to 50 cents per gallon in the past month yet stand roughly 79 cents higher than a year earlier, according to GasBuddy data cited in the reporting. The poll preceded any announced agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Support has slipped among groups that backed Trump in 2024. Seventy-seven percent of 2024 Trump voters still approve, but only 46 percent of white voters without college degrees do so. Among independents, 64 percent disapprove of his overall job performance. Twenty-two percent of Republicans now disapprove of his economic handling, and the share of Republicans who strongly approve of his job overall fell from 61 percent in April to 53 percent.
Overall job approval stands at 36 percent, the lowest of Trump's second term. Cost concerns also shape summer plans: 55 percent of adults intend to take a vacation, unchanged from prior years, yet two-thirds say costs have affected those plans to some degree. Respondents earning under $50,000 are far less likely to travel than higher earners.
Marist director Lee Miringoff linked the numbers to affordability pressures, noting that voters connect higher prices at the pump and grocery store with the current administration. The poll shows no single demographic group driving the decline; dissatisfaction appears across income levels, generations, and regions.
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