Trump's Approval Sinks in War Trap... Only 23% Support His Inflation Response

Drop in Economic Policy Approval Outpaces Overall Job Rating

Living Cost Concerns Mount... Sharp Price Increases Last Month

As the U.S.-Iran war has dragged on for more than 50 days, the approval rating for U.S. President Donald Trump's economic policy has plummeted to 30%. This figure is about 8 percentage points lower than the previous month. The decline was steeper than the drop in his overall job approval rating.

U.S. President Donald Trump is sitting in the White House Oval Office on the 18th (local time). Photo by AP

According to a national poll released on the 21st (local time) by the Associated Press and the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago, President Trump's job approval rating stood at 33%. This marks a decrease of 5 percentage points compared to last month's survey (conducted from the 19th to the 23rd), when it was 38%. The latest survey was conducted from April 16 to 20, 2026, targeting 2,596 American adults. The margin of error is ±2.6 percentage points.

This is the lowest approval rating President Trump has recorded since launching his second-term administration in January of last year. When he took office last year, his approval rating started at 42%, and while it remained relatively stable for some time, it has recently shown a downward trend.

The area where Americans' disappointment is most pronounced is economic policy. The economic policy approval rating dropped sharply from 38% last month to 30% this month, a decline of 8 percentage points. This drop is larger than the overall approval rating decline. When it comes to handling the cost of living, the approval rating is even lower, with only 23% of respondents expressing support.

This sentiment is shared among Republican Party members as well. Approval for Trump's handling of the cost of living stands at just 51% among Republicans, who make up his support base. Notably, among Republicans under 45, about 60% assessed Trump's response to rising prices negatively. This figure is higher than that of older Republicans, where the negative response was about 40%.

The negative impact of the war on the U.S. economy has been confirmed by official indicators. The U.S. Department of Labor announced that last month's Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 3.3% year-on-year and by 0.9% month-on-month. The monthly increase is the largest since June 2022. By category, energy prices surged by 10.9%. Among these, gasoline prices soared by 21.2%, leading the overall index increase.

However, President Trump has not shown much concern over inflation. He described the war as a "small journey" and, regarding oil prices rising by about 35%, remarked positively that they are still lower than his anticipated $200 per barrel.

President Trump's approval rating on the Iran issue is 32%, down slightly from 35% last month. This appears to reflect the lack of a breakthrough in ceasefire and end-of-war negotiations with Iran. However, his approval rating for immigration policy reached 40%, a slight increase from 38% last month.

The Associated Press pointed out, "The decline in President Trump's approval ratings could pose challenges for the Republican Party as it seeks to retain its majority in both houses of Congress in the midterm elections."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.