Voters give Trump worse marks on economy than job overall

Both figures represent a drop from March, when Trump's overall job approval stood at net negative 6 and his economic approval at net negative 8. Economic approval has fallen 15 points in one quarter, while overall job approval has dropped 12 points.

Noble Predictive Insights conducted the poll for The Center Square from June 1-4, 2026.

Gas prices have fallen from recent highs but remain elevated at $3.93 per gallon nationally, up from $2.94 when Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. military conflict with Iran, began in February, according to AAA. Ground beef has risen 22%, from $5.55 to $6.75 per pound since January 2025, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Overall consumer prices rose 4.2% over the past year through May 2026, the largest 12-month increase since April 2023, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. At that rate, the average American household is paying about $3,300 more per year for the same goods and services, according to Consumer Expenditure Survey data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Real wages have fallen back to where they stood when Trump took office in January 2025, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Voters earning less than $50,000 annually, representing about 44% of respondents, gave Trump his lowest economic marks, with 64% disapproving of his economic handling and 32% approving, a net of negative 32 points. Among those earning $50,000 to $100,000, 55% disapproved and 42% approved, a net of negative 13. Higher-income voters earning more than $100,000 disapproved at 57% while 40% approved, a net of negative 17.

Phillip Magness, a senior fellow at the Independent Institute who specializes in political economy and economic history, said the gap between Trump's overall and economic approval is unusual for his political career. The gap marks a reversal from Trump's first term, Magness said, when his economic approval consistently ran higher than his overall job approval.

"For all of his other controversies, Trump has historically enjoyed an advantage over the Democrats on economic issues – long seen as one of his strengths," Magness told The Center Square. "Trump came into office with an economic policy mandate to reverse this course, but has thus far largely squandered it through policies that have only exacerbated pressures at the checkout aisle — such as tariffs – and the gas pump – such as the energy shocks caused by the war with Iran."

Magness said Trump was already facing economic headwinds in March from his tariff agenda, which Magness said routinely trails in voter opinion by double-digit margins.

"The disruption of global energy markets from the Iran war, as well as the stubborn persistence of inflationary pressures in recent CPI data have likely contributed to a further decline in voter assessment of Trump's economic performance," Magness said. "In short, Trump was hit with a stream of bad economic news over the last two months – much of it self-inflicted due to the war and due to his stubborn pursuit of unpopular tariffs."

A White House spokesman said the administration views the economic disruption as temporary and describes its economic agenda as proven.

"The Administration has never lost focus, however, on implementing the President's proven economic agenda on the home front," spokesman Kush Desai told The Center Square. "As these policies continue taking effect, and as the Iranian terror threat is neutralized, Americans will again see cooling inflation, gas prices at multi-year lows, and accelerated economic growth."

Grant Reeher, a professor of political science at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, said the president's decline reflects something broader.

"I see the president's approval ratings as less about one specific thing, though the economy is obviously very important, and more about the cumulative effect of a host of policies that have not enjoyed widespread support, combined with rhetoric that has turned a lot of people off," he told The Center Square.

Reeher said Trump's numbers have declined consistently since the height of DOGE. The Department of Government Efficiency set a $2 trillion savings goal, but has cut an estimated $215 billion, about a tenth of the initial target, or $1,335 per taxpayer based on 161 million individual federal taxpayers, according to its website. The numbers have become difficult to reverse, Reeher said.

"These ratings might not be completely baked in yet, but they have become very sticky, in my view," Reeher told The Center Square. "It will likely be the reality that other Republicans have to deal with from here on out."

Reeher said the numbers carry implications for the midterms.

"Since midterm elections are generally reactions to a president's first two years, these numbers do not bode well at all for Republicans," he said.

Several Republican and Democratic congressional offices, including members of the House Ways and Means Committee, did not respond to requests for comment.

Reeher said the impact on the 2028 presidential race is far less certain.

"A lot will depend on the type of candidate the Democrats put forward," he said. "Right now, the Democrats are heavily fractured."

Noble Predictive Insights conducted the poll for The Center Square by surveying registered voters nationally via opt-in online panel and text-to-web cell phone messages. The sample included 2,585 respondents, including 915 Republicans, 1,013 Democrats, and 297 True Independents. The margin of error is plus or minus 1.93%.