US President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025.
Bonnie Cash | Bloomberg | Getty Images
President Donald Trump‘s total and financial approval scores stay in negative territory regardless of a slight enchancment in the newest CNBC All-America Economic Survey.
More troubling for the president, nevertheless, could possibly be that the survey shows optimistic approval of solely one among seven key points, with the public holding negative views on his dealing with of tariffs, inflation, taxes and federal spending.
There additionally was a modest rise in the public’s choice for the Democrats to manage Congress, rising to a 49%-44% benefit from 48%-46% in April. It was the largest lead for Democrats since 2021.
At the identical time, favorability of the Democratic Party amongst registered voters sank to a web -32 share factors, with 24% optimistic and 56% negative. The -32 rating seemed to be the lowest rating for both social gathering going again to not less than 1996.
The public disapproves of the job Trump is doing as president by a 51%-46% margin, up from 51%-44% in the April survey. The change is inside the survey’s +/-3.1 share level margin of error as is the hole in his approval rating.
The president’s financial approval rating stays negative with 45% approving and 53% disapproving, a modest acquire from 43%-55% in April. But it is the second time in a row that his financial approval was worse than his total approval, a reversal from his first time period when the president was all the time stronger on the financial system.
“What seemed to be keeping President Trump’s overall approval level from really dropping down was the strong economy and the credit that he got from the public,” stated Jay Campbell, associate at Hart Research, the survey’s Democratic pollster. “He cannot rely on that at this point.”
Overall, the survey of 1,000 folks nationwide performed July 29-Aug. 3 confirmed a sequence of conflicting political and financial crosscurrents, with people and demographic teams providing typically contradictory opinions.
“Trump’s approval is stable, but his individual ratings are down on issue after issue, except for tariffs,” stated Micah Roberts, associate with Public Opinion Strategies, which performed the ballot and served as its Republican pollster. “Economic optimism is higher, but there’s been no relief in this data from inflation.”
For instance, simply 39% of independents approve of the president’s dealing with of the financial system, and that drops to 24% on inflation. Even Republicans are 9 factors decrease on inflation than their financial approval rating.
The president is underwater on inflation by 23 factors, with 37% approving and 60% disapproving, unchanged from the final survey. The conflicts could possibly be the results of the public merely having hassle maintaining with the breakneck adjustments to the financial system, immigration, taxation and the political system issuing from the Trump administration.
Party-line cut up on Trump
But Republicans stay solidly behind the president and Democrats solidly towards. Half of independents disapprove of the president, with 36% approving.
Roberts added that the survey is “capturing a country that’s in a shifting moment across all of these issues.”
Views on the financial system are equally conflicting.
On the present state of the economy, attitudes have improved, with 31% saying it is glorious or good and 68% calling it simply honest or poor. Those are the greatest numbers since the early years of the Biden administration as the nation emerged from the pandemic, and an 11-point enchancment from the CNBC survey in April.
The transfer was pushed largely by rising optimism amongst Republicans, with some enchancment amongst independents. But the outlook for the financial system barely budged, with 36% saying it would get higher, 17% saying it would keep the identical, and 46% anticipating it to worsen.
Republicans turned a bit much less optimistic and independents considerably much less pessimistic.
Views on the stock market additionally improved with 46% saying it is a good time to speculate and 42% saying it is a dangerous time. The sharp enchancment to +4 share factors from -15 share factors has include a surge in shares that adopted the president backing off from sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs and the passage of tax laws.
Even 36% of these with no investments suppose it is a good time make investments, the highest on file for a bunch that’s sometimes negative on shares.
Views on different issues
But the survey shows some gathering areas of concern for the president on key points.
Approval on measures taken to safe the southern border is the solely one among seven that’s above water with a 53% to 44% optimistic approval rating. The public is evenly cut up on deportations 49% to 49%, with sharp divides by social gathering, age, race, gender, geography, revenue and training.
There are even splits inside events.
For instance, 98% of MAGA Republicans, who signify 26% of the social gathering, approve of the deportations, in contrast with 61% of non-MAGA Republicans. That compares with 97% of liberal Democrats disapproving of Trump’s deportations and 78% of reasonable Democrats.
There is also unambiguous disapproval of the president’s foreign policy (-14 factors), federal spending (-19 factors), taxes (-13 factors) and inflation (-23 factors), which is unchanged from April.
In reality, 60% of the public still say their incomes are falling behind the rising price of dwelling, with ladies and people with decrease incomes saying they’re particularly exhausting hit.
Tariffs could possibly be taking part in a job in the inflation outlook: 49% say tariffs harm staff in contrast with solely 37% who say they assist; 67% say they elevate the price of on a regular basis items. But by a 47%-37% margin, tariffs are seen serving to U.S. firms who produce in the U.S.
Still, virtually three-quarters of the public say overseas commerce represents an financial alternative for the U.S., somewhat than a risk. The public on web disapproves of the president’s tariffs by a 51%-45% margin.