As President Donald Trump nears his 100th day in office, a new poll found his approval rating is below those of his recent predecessors during the same period.
In the latest Fox News poll, 44 percent of respondents said they approve of Trump — who will celebrate his first 100 days at a rally in Michigan on April 29 — while 55 percent said they disapprove.
By contrast, at three months in, former President Joe Biden’s approval rating stood at 54 percent, 10 points higher than Trump’s.
During the same period in their first terms, Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush boasted even higher approval ratings of 62 percent and 63 percent, respectively.
Trump’s 44 percent rating is also 1 point lower than his approval rating at the 100-day mark during his first term in 2017.
Approval on the issues
The poll — which sampled 1,104 registered voters April 18-21 — also asked respondents what they thought of the president’s performance on eight issues, including the economy, foreign policy and taxes.
Trump garnered more positive reactions than negative reactions on just one issue: border security, with 55 percent approving and 40 percent disapproving.
Meanwhile, he was underwater on the seven others.
For example, on inflation, 59 percent disapproved, while 33 percent approved. Similarly, on tariffs, 58 percent disapproved, while 33 percent approved. And when it came to foreign policy, 54 percent of respondents disapproved, compared to 40 percent who approved.
Even on immigration — historically one of Trump’s best-performing issues — his disapproval rating narrowly outstripped his approval rating, 48 percent to 47 percent.
Zooming in on the economy
Voters also expressed pessimism about the current state and future outlook of the U.S. economy, according to the poll, which has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
A majority of respondents, 56 percent, said they disapproved of Trump’s handling of the economy, while 38 percent said they approved of it.
Just 28 percent rated the economy as excellent (7 percent) or good (21 percent). And the vast majority, 71 percent, rated it as only fair (29 percent) or poor (42 percent).
Additionally, 55 percent said it feels like the economy is getting worse for them and their family, while 28 percent said it feels like it’s improving.
A similar share, 54 percent, said Trump’s policies are hurting the U.S. economy. By contrast, 32 percent said the president’s actions are helping it.
When asked how his policies will affect the U.S. over the long run, responses were more divided, though still mostly negative, with 51 percent saying they will hurt the country and 40 percent saying they will help.
Lastly, a majority, 55 percent, said they believe levying tariffs on foreign imports generally hurts the economy, while 32 percent said this generally helps it.
