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Is Trump doing better or worse than expected? Poll finds sizable shift from last month

Brendan Rascius, The Charlotte Observer on

Published in Political News

A growing share of Americans believe President Donald Trump is not rising to their expectations, according to new polling.

In a March Harvard/Harris poll, 42% of respondents said Trump is performing worse than they expected, which is up from 35% in February.

In contrast, 30% said the president is doing better than they anticipated, which is down from 36% in February. Combined, these results mark a 13-point swing against the president.

The poll — which sampled 2,746 registered voters March 26-27 — comes about two months into Trump’s second term, during which time he’s slapped tariffs on major trading partners, ramped up deportations and slashed jobs and funding across the federal government.

The poll also found Trump’s overall approval rating and his approval rating on key issues have dipped.

A plurality of respondents, 49%, said they either strongly (31%) or somewhat (19%) approve of Trump’s job performance so far. This figure is down from 52% in February.

Meanwhile, 46% said they strongly (36%) or somewhat (10%) disapprove of Trump’s performance, which is up from 43% last month.

 

And when it comes to seven key issues, Trump’s approval rating has dipped, according to the poll, which has a margin of error of 1.9 percentage points.

On the economy, 45% of voters said they approve of the president, which is down four points from 49% in February. Similarly, his approval rating on reducing the cost of government and returning America to its values have each fallen from 53% to 49%.

His approval rating on foreign affairs dropped three points (from 48% to 45%); his rating on handling inflation dipped by two points (45% to 43%), and his rating on administering the government fell by two points (49% to 47%).

A majority of voters only approved of Trump on one issue: immigration. Fifty-three percent said they approved, which is down from 56% in February.

_____


©2025 The Charlotte Observer. Visit charlotteobserver.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

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