Donald Trump won back the Oval Office and took charge of the government amid the strongest poll numbers of his political career, but as the 100-day mark of his presidency approaches, Americans' views of what he's done so far have turned deeply negative, a new CNN poll has found.
Trump's 41 per cent approval rating is the lowest for any newly elected president at 100 days dating back at least to Dwight Eisenhower – including Trump's own first term.
Approval of Trump's handling of the presidency is down 4 points since March, and 7 points lower than it was in late February. Just 22 per cent say they strongly approve of Trump's handling of the job, a new low, and about twice as many say they strongly disapprove (45 per cent).
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Since March, Trump has suffered notable drops in approval from women and Hispanic Americans (down 7 points in each group to 36 per cent among women and 28 per cent among Hispanics).
Partisan views of Trump remain broadly polarised, with 86 per cent of Republicans approving and 93 per cent of Democrats disapproving. But among political independents, the president's approval rating has dipped to 31 per cent, matching his first-term low point with that group and about the same as his standing with them in January 2021.
The poll finds the president underwater and sinking across nearly all major issues he's sought to address during his time in office, with the public's confidence in his ability to handle those issues also on the decline.
Trump's approval ratings on economic issues have dropped notably since early March as the rollout of his tariff plan led to volatility in the stock market and worries about rising prices.
On inflation, approval is down 9 points to 35 per cent, and on tariffs themselves, it's down 4 points to 35 per cent. His marks for handling the economy are down 5 points to a career-low of 39 per cent; he hit his previous low once in his first term and again this March).
Only about half (52 per cent) express confidence in his ability to deal with the economy, down 13 points compared with a December CNN poll.
"I'm disappointed. I didn't vote for him. I was going to give him the benefit of doubt, because I figured, you know, he could do things to help the economy and … further disappointment," said a 55-year-old Virginia resident who identifies as an independent and participated in the poll. She has worked for the federal government for more than two decades and asked that her name not be used.
Following his far-reaching efforts to reshape the federal government's workforce, Trump has lost ground on approval ratings for managing the federal government (42 per cent approve, down 6 points since March) and only 46 per cent express confidence in him to appoint the best people to office, down 8 points since December. Less than half (43 per cent) see Trump's actions as a necessary shake-up in Washington, while most (57 per cent) say his approach to the presidency is unnecessarily putting the country at risk.
Derek Steinmetz, a Democrat from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, said he was most concerned by Trump's "overarching disregard for the rule, and the norms, and the structure of our government. It was a concern the first term, but it's much worse this time around because there are fewer guardrails in place."
Trump's moves on foreign affairs – which have included a more friendly posture toward Russia in its war with Ukraine and ending many foreign aid programs – are also seeing majority disapproval (39 per cent approve, 60 per cent disapprove). Half say they have a lot or some confidence in his ability to handle foreign affairs, down from 55 per cent before he took office.
Even on immigration, an issue where Trump had outperformed his first-term high by 7 points earlier this year, the poll finds declining approval ratings and diminished confidence in Trump's actions. Overall, 45 per cent approve now, down 6 points from March, and 53 per cent express confidence in his ability to deal with it, down from 60 per cent in December.
Trump earns narrowly positive ratings on only one issue tested in the poll: his handling of issues related to gender identity and trans people. Overall, 51 per cent approve of his handling of that matter, including 90 per cent of Republicans, 48 per cent of independents and 16 per cent of Democrats.
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"I'm actually quite glad he said that there's only male and female. I was actually quite glad when that came out, when he put that into law, that there's only male and there's only female, that there's no binary, he, she, they. There's no they," said Lisa Munson, a Maryland mother-of-three who voted for Trump, when asked what she considers to be Trump's biggest accomplishment.
Trump's efforts at shaping arts, culture and American history, though, are far less popular, with 64 per cent considering it inappropriate for him to take actions like seizing control of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and seeking changes in exhibits at Smithsonian Institution museums, an effort he delegated in part to Vice President JD Vance.
Vance matches Trump's 41 per cent job approval rating overall in the poll, with 58 per cent disapproving. Neither Trump nor Vance is viewed favourably by most Americans. Just 40 per cent say they have a favourable view of the president and 34 per cent a favourable view of Vance.
Overall, Americans' confidence in Trump to use the power of the presidency responsibly (46 per cent confident, down 8 points) and to provide real leadership for the country (50 per cent confident, down 9 points) have dropped sharply since December. Trump has issued a slew of executive orders directing changes to government practices and policy that have faced myriad challenges in court.
"I'm not a big fan of these executive orders that Trump and all the other presidents issue constantly. In Trump's case, I think that he goes overboard on these executive orders, and that's why a lot of them get shot down by the courts, you don't have the authority to do that," said George Mastrodonato, a Trump voter and partially retired lawyer who lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico and participated in the poll.
"I wish he would be a little more discreet and focus on the executive orders that he writes and issues that he could win in court. He seems to be like Yosemite Sam, you know? Blasting off with two guns in both hands, and some of them stick and some of them don't."
Just over half of Americans (52 per cent), including majorities of both Democrats and Republicans, say Trump's second presidency will fundamentally change the country in a lasting way. A little more than a third (36 per cent) say any significant changes Trump makes will fade once he leaves office, and only 12 per cent say Trump's second term will not result in significant changes to the country.
Still, Americans are closely split on whether Trump has kept important campaign promises. Just shy of half, 48 per cent, say he's doing a good job of it, 51 per cent a bad job – numbers that closely mirror this point in his first term. A 55 per cent majority say he's taken at least some actions to effectively address the nation's problems, though only 28 per cent believe he's done things that have already started to help address the country's problems.
Mastrodonato, the Trump voter from New Mexico, also largely sees Trump as keeping his promises. "He's doing what he said he would do. Some of his approaches, I would take a different approach, but, you know, he's Donald Trump so, he's going to do whatever he wants to do."
The CNN poll was conducted among 1678 adults nationwide by SSRS from April 17-24, using a combination of online and telephone interviews. The survey samples were originally drawn from two sources – a probability-based online panel and a registration-based sample – and combined. Respondents were initially contacted by mail, phone or email. Results for the full sample have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.9 points.
