Political Preferences of Undecided Voters, as Inspectied by Our Political Correspondent
In the mid-year of 2025, President Donald Trump's economic performance in his second term is a subject of ongoing debate. According to recent polls, a majority of the public disapproves of his handling of the economy, with approval ratings hovering between the high 30s to low 40s percent range.
An Associated Press-NORC poll in July found just 38% of adults approve of Trump's economic management, down significantly from about 50% at the end of his first term. Similarly, the Emerson College poll from late July reports 51% disapproval versus 41% approval for his handling of the economy specifically. The Gallup poll around the same period shows a 37% overall job approval rating for Trump, including his economic policies, and highlights a notably low approval among independents at 29% — the lowest of his second term to date. Disapproval on the economy and tariff policies were particularly high in this poll.
However, the White House paints a more optimistic picture, citing deregulation, trade policies, and tax cuts as reasons that the "best is yet to come" for the economy after recent setbacks like job losses in manufacturing and slowing job gains in mid-2025.
Despite the criticism, Trump maintains that his tariffs will strengthen the economy, stating "We will be taking in hundreds of billions of dollars, and very quickly." He has imposed a new round of tariffs, some set to take effect next week, that formalize some recent trade agreements and levy higher tariff rates against trading partners that failed to strike deals with the U.S.
Recent polling suggests that voters have soured on the president's handling of the economy, with a majority (53%) disapproving of Trump's handling of the economy and 57% disapproving of his handling of tariffs. However, critically, voters may have negative opinions of Trump's handling of the economy, but be split on which party would handle the issue better.
NBC News interviewed eight swing voters who supported Donald Trump in the 2024 election, having voted for Joe Biden or not voting in 2020. The voters who participated in the final NBC News poll of the 2024 election were optimistic that a second Trump presidency would bring about change, particularly on the economy and immigration issues.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released a jobs report showing the U.S. added 73,000 new jobs in July while revising gains in recent months, signaling slower-than-expected job growth. This raises the question: Is this Trump's economy now? While the answer may not be clear-cut, one thing is certain — the public's opinion on Trump's economic performance continues to be a topic of intense discussion and debate.
[1] Associated Press-NORC poll: https://www.apnorc.org/projects/economy-and-jobs/ [2] Emerson College poll: https://www.emersonpolling.com/ [3] Gallup poll: https://news.gallup.com/poll/315669/trump-approval-economic-handling-stays-low.aspx
- The handling of the economy by President Donald Trump in his second term is a contentious topic, with many disapproving of his policies.
- In the July Associated Press-NORC poll, only 38% of adults approved of Trump's economic management, down from 50% at the end of his first term.
- The Emerson College poll from late July reported 51% disapproval versus 41% approval for Trump's handling of the economy.
- The Gallup poll around the same period showed a 37% overall job approval rating for Trump, with a particularly low approval among independents at 29%.
- Despite the criticism, the White House maintains that deregulation, trade policies, and tax cuts will boost the economy, with Trump claiming that tariffs will bring in hundreds of billions of dollars.
- Recent polling indicates that voters have a majority disapproval of Trump's handling of the economy, but there is a split on which party would handle the issue better, which may influence the outcome of the 2024 election.
