Trump's approval steady, concerns over economy, immigration rise

Washington: President Donald Trump's approval rating held steady this week, but discontent is rising over his handling of the economy and hardline approach to immigration, amid concern about a global trade war and a push to increase deportations, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll found. The three-day poll completed on Sunday showed 42% of respondents approved of the Republican leader's performance in office, unchanged from a prior Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted a week earlier. The share of people who disapprove of his presidency was also steady at 53%.

The share of respondents who approve of Trump's economic stewardship declined a percentage point to 36%, the lowest level in his current term or in his 2017-2021 presidency, while disapproval rose 5 points to 56%. Fears of a recession have surged in recent weeks as Trump has launched a global trade war, hiking tariffs so high that economists warn that trade with some countries - notably China - could grind nearly to a halt. The moves have shaken investors and companies.

On Tuesday, for example, delivery giant United Parcel Service said it would cut 20,000 jobs. Inflation continued to be a sore spot. Trump's victory in the November presidential election came after inflation accelerated under his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden. But the pace of inflation has barely eased under Trump and 59% of respondents to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll disapproved of his handling of the cost of living in America, compared with 32% who approved.

Trump gets higher marks on his performance on immigration than on any other issue Reuters/Ipsos polled on, with 45% of respondents approving his handling of it, steady with the prior finding. But discontent also grew here, with his disapproval rating on the topic ticking 2 points higher to 48%. Trump launched an aggressive enforcement campaign after taking office on January 20, sending troops to the southern border and pledging to deport millions of immigrants in the US illegally. Democrats and civil rights advocates have criticized Trump's heightened enforcement tactics, including the cases of several children who are US citizens who were recently deported with their parents. One of the children has a rare form of cancer, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Some 11% of respondents in the Reuters/Ipsos poll said immigration was the most important problem facing the United States, compared to 14% in late January. The share who said the economy was the top concern in the latest poll was little changed at 22%. The share who said the biggest problem was political extremism and threats to democracy stood at 26%, up from 20% in late January.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll surveyed 1,029 US adults nationwide and had a margin of error of about 3 percentage points.