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Trump's approval rating rises to 44%, Americans worry less about recession

Published: 14 May. 2025, 10:52

U.S. President Donald Trump shows a signed document as he signs executive orders and proclamations in the Oval Office at the White House, in Washington. on May 5, 2025. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

President Donald Trump's approval rating rose this week as Americans worried less about his handling of the economy and prospects of a recession, according to a Reuters-Ipsos poll that closed on Tuesday.

The two-day poll showed 44 percent of respondents approved of the Republican leader's performance, up from 42 percent in a prior Reuters-Ipsos survey carried out April 25 to 27. The poll had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

Approval of Trump's economic stewardship rose to 39 percent from 36 percent.

Trump began his term with a 47 percent approval rating, and saw his popularity tick lower as Americans worried about a series of trade wars he launched since taking office on January 20.

Trump's moves to hike tariffs to historic levels on major trading partners, notably China, fueled stock market declines as many economists predicted a recession was looming.

U.S. President Donald Trump sits inside the Oval Office of the White House, in Washington on May 9. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

In recent weeks, Trump has eased back on his sharpest trade actions and announced on Monday morning he was slashing tariffs on China. The benchmark S&P 500 stock index is up about 17 percent from its lowest closing of Trump's second administration, hit soon after he unveiled sweeping tariffs.

Among the public, concerns about recession have also eased but remain high.

Some 69 percent of respondents in the new poll said they were concerned about a recession, down from 76 percent in a Reuters-Ipsos poll conducted April 16 to 21. The share who said they worried about the stock market fell to 60 percent from 67 percent.

U.S. President Donald Trump attends the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on April 21. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Trump has said blame for the country's economic problems should fall on former President Joe Biden, his Democratic predecessor. Inflation surged during Biden's presidency amid the global economic chaos of the Covid-19 pandemic, but trended lower toward the end of his presidency. Annual price inflation cooled in April, the Labor Department said on Tuesday, though economists continue to warn that Trump's trade actions are likely to boost prices later in the year.

In the Reuters-Ipsos poll, 59 percent of respondents said it would be Trump's fault if the economy falls into recession this year, compared to 37 percent who said it would be Biden's fault.

The Reuters-Ipsos poll, conducted nationwide online, surveyed 1,163 people.

Reuters