President Donald Trump's approval rating has taken a "significant hit" since his April 2 announcement of sweeping new tariffs on "Liberation Day," as economic data and polls reflect mounting public concern, according to polling analyst Nate Silver, Newsweek reported.
Trump's tariff announcement sparked widespread market disruption, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping more than 1,600 points last Thursday and 2,200 points on Friday. Although markets showed signs of stabilization this week, the White House announced a 90-day pause on most tariffs affecting countries other than China. In addition, a minimum 10% tariff is still in place for most imports, according to a BBC report.
Despite the pause, consumer confidence remains shaken.
The University of Michigan's preliminary consumer sentiment index, released Friday, fell 11 percent from the previous month, dropping to 50.8 — the lowest level recorded since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and the second-lowest in data going back to 1952.
Nate Silver, founder of the now-defunct FiveThirtyEight and current operator of the Silver Bulletin on Substack, posted about Trump's recent polling numbers on X Friday.
"In our tracking, Trump's approval is at -5, but if we only used polls since Liberation Day, he'd be at -8.5 instead. So that's a pretty significant hit over the span of barely more than a week; he was at -2.5 on 4/1, just before Liberation Day," Silver wrote.
As of Friday, the Silver Bulletin's tracker showed 45.6 percent of Americans approve of Trump's job performance, while 50.6 percent disapprove.
Silver Bulletin's recent post-Liberation Day polls on Trump approval include:
- Rasmussen: -5 percent
- YouGov: -13 percent
- Quinnipiac: -12 percent
- Navigator Research: -9 percent
- HarrisX: -2 percent
When speaking to reporters Friday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt downplayed the polling slide.
"I think there is a great optimism in the economy and great reason for optimism for the American people. A lot of reason for people to feel optimistic," Leavitt said. "The president is trying to renegotiate the global trade agenda that has ripped off the American people for far too long."
Trump echoed that message Friday on Truth Social: "We are doing really well on our TARIFF POLICY. Very exciting for America and the World!!! It is moving along quickly."
However, critics have warned of the economic toll. Former Biden administration Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg commented on X Thursday: "If you're a billionaire, then you'll barely notice a few thousand dollars a year in higher prices at the store from these Trump tariffs—plus you can count on him to get you another big tax break for the wealthy. But for everyone else, this is a big deal and a bad one."
Late Friday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced certain exemptions to the new tariffs, particularly on electronics such as smartphones, monitors, and various components.
While Trump's administration has delayed most non-China tariffs to allow time for new trade negotiations, polling data suggests the short-term economic uncertainty is taking a toll on public perception.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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