New CNN poll: Americans are negative on Trump’s handling of economy

Americans are not impressed with President Donald Trump’s stewardship of the economy, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS, putting him underwater on the nation’s top issue even as he sees ratings among the best of his presidential career on other key priorities.

Americans are not impressed with President Donald Trump’s stewardship of the economy, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS, putting him underwater on the nation’s top issue even as he sees ratings among the best of his presidential career on other key priorities. As markets slide and investors worry in response to Trump’s trade policies, a 56% majority of the public disapproves of his handling of the economy, worse than at any point during his first term in office. By contrast, the 51% who now say they approve of his work on immigration – headlined by stricter enforcement efforts – is 7 points higher than at any point during his first term. Americans are closely divided over Trump’s performance so far in handling the federal budget and managing the federal government – 48% approve on each, with about half disapproving – while giving him lower ratings for his work on health care policy (43%), foreign affairs (42%) and tariffs (39%). Trump’s overall job approval rating currently stands at 45%, with 54% disapproving, in line with the numbers he saw in March 2017 and matching his highest ratings for his first term in office. Overall, 35% of Americans say things in the country are going well, a rise from 29% in January, reflecting a surge in positive sentiment within the GOP. His ratings remain highly polarized, with Republicans roughly 10 times as likely as Democrats to approve of his job performance. There’s overwhelming agreement across party lines that Trump’s use of presidential power reflects a break from historical precedent. An 86% majority of Americans, including more than three-quarters of adults in each party, say that Trump is taking a completely different approach to presidential power in comparison to past presidents, with 49% calling this a bad thing and 37% saying it’s a good thing. Just 14% say his approach to his second term has been generally in line with past presidents’. Economic concerns continue to dominate, the poll finds, with 42% of Americans choosing the economy as their top issue from a list of seven – more than doubling the share who picked any other issue, including the state of US democracy (19%), the way the federal government works (14%), immigration (12%), health care (6%), foreign policy (3%) or climate change (2%).