President Trump’s approval rating held steady in the latest Harvard Cap/Harris poll, despite some lingering economic concerns.
A poll released on Monday indicated that Trump’s approval stood at 47%, which is only a slight drop of one point from last month. His disapproval rating, however, edged up to 48%. This marks the first time since he assumed office that disapproval ratings have overtaken approval.
Despite these shifts, the overall ratings haven’t changed much compared to March and are within the margin of error.
Mark Penn, Chair of Harris, noted that the results suggest Trump maintains his support among his base, as his perspective on the economy has become more positive, even amid challenges like tariffs.
A slim majority of 51% of respondents believe the economy is strong, an increase of five points since April. For the first time since July 2021, many respondents reported improvements in their personal financial situations, with those feeling worse dropping from 45% last month to 39% now.
Meanwhile, the percentage of individuals who said their situations were improving rose by 2 points to 34%.
Trump’s strongest issue appears to be his approach to immigration and a return to U.S. values, with 51% approval. Conversely, his handling of tariffs and trade policies lag behind, with only 42% expressing support in that area.
This polling comes on the heels of Trump’s announcement of a temporary trade agreement with China. He also shared plans for countries to reduce tariffs on each other following his “liberation day” proclamation, which introduced higher tariffs. Earlier this month, the administration revealed a trade deal with the U.K. as well.
Since March, Trump’s average approval ratings have been slightly under water; however, they showed some improvement in recent weeks. As of last weekend, his approval rate rose to 45.9% from a previous 43.7%.
The Monday poll also reported that 46% of respondents view Trump favorably, while 47% have an unfavorable opinion of him.
The Harvard Caps-Harris poll was conducted between May 14 and 15, surveying 1,903 registered voters. This research is a partnership between Harvard University’s Center for American Political Studies and Harris polls.
The study was conducted online using a sample from the Harris panel, which is weighted to reflect known demographics. The margin of error was 2.2 points.
