President Donald Trump's approval rating dropped to a new low for his second of two non-consecutive terms, according to the latest Navigator Research poll published on Tuesday (April 8).

Trump was reported to have a 44% approval rating and 53% disapproval rating for his overall job performance, as well as a 42% approval rating and 55% disapproval rating for his handling of the economy in the wake of his announcement for sweeping global tariffs. The president had previously had a +2 net approval rating for his job performance and +1 net approval rating for his handling of the economy on February 3, with both decreasing in the three polls since.

Trump's -13 economic net approval rating is tied for his worst ever in all polls conducted by Navigator Research since his first presidential term, having previously dropped to -13 in 2019.

Trump was previously reported to have a 46% approval rating for his overall job performance, while 51% said they disapproved, in the latest Wall Street Journal poll conducted by Tony Fabrizio, who had previously served as the pollster for his 2016 and 2024 presidential campaigns, and Democratic pollster John Anzalone published last Friday (April 4). The president also saw his approval rating turn negative in the typically Republican-leaning Rasmussen poll for the first time during his second administration last week.

The Wall Street Journal poll was released two days after the president announced that the U.S. would impose trade barriers on American exports as part of sweeping "reciprocal" tariffs on other countries, which he dubbed "Liberation Day." The survey showed that 54% of respondents said they were against the president's tariffs on imported goods, while 42% said they supported the measure.

The poll was released as the United States stock market experienced a significant downturn as the tariffs and trade wars were initiated, seeing the largest decline since the 2020 stock market crash influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic during Trump's first of two non-consecutive presidential terms. Trump said he has no plans to back away from his sweeping tariff plans in a post shared on his Truth Social account Monday morning, claiming there would be "NO INFLATION" following an ensuing stock market downturn.

"Oil prices are down, interest rates are down (the slow moving Fed should cut rates!), food prices are down, there is NO INFLATION, and the long time abused USA is bringing in Billions of Dollars a week from the abusing countries on Tariffs that are already in place," Trump wrote. "This is despite the fact that the biggest abuser of them all, China, whose markets are crashing, just raised its Tariffs by 34%, on top of its long term ridiculously high Tariffs (Plus!), not acknowledging my warning for abusing countries not to retaliate. They’ve made enough, for decades, taking advantage of the Good OL’ USA! Our past “leaders” are to blame for allowing this, and so much else, to happen to our Country. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

"The United States has a chance to do something that should have been done DECADES AGO," he wrote in a followup post. "Don’t be Weak! Don’t be Stupid! Don’t be a PANICAN (A new party based on Weak and Stupid people!). Be Strong, Courageous, and Patient, and GREATNESS will be the result!"

Trump's Truth Social comments came as two of his biggest supporters, billionaires Elon Musk and Bill Ackman, both appeared to publicly differ from the tariff decision in post shared on social media.

Scott Ryfun

Scott Ryfun