April 21, 2026
As gas prices have risen amid the ongoing war in Iran, public views of President Trump’s handling of the economy have declined. Thirty percent approve of his handling of the economy, down from 38% in March. Seventy-two percent say the country is heading in the wrong direction, about the same as in February.
Just 23% approve of how he is handling the cost of living, while 76% disapprove. At the same time, a growing number of Americans say the U.S. economy is not doing well: 73% now describe the economy as poor, up from 66% in February.
Although Trump’s approval rating has declined slightly since March (33% vs. 38%), his favorability has remained about the same, with 33% holding a favorable opinion, compared with 34% in February. Views of Vice President JD Vance and of the Republican and Democratic parties have also remained consistent.
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The nationwide poll was conducted April 16-20, 2026 using the AmeriSpeak® Panel, the probability-based panel of NORC at the University of Chicago. Online and telephone interviews using landlines and cell phones were conducted with 2,596 adults. The overall margin of sampling error is +/- 3.4 percentage points.
- Suggested Citation: AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. “Fewer approve of Trump’s handling of the economy” (April 2026). https://apnorc.org/projects/fewer-approve-of-trumps-handling-of-the-economy/
