Trump’s economic popularity hits a new low, a poll shows

A new poll from PBS News, NPR and Marist shows that a third of Americans approve of the way President Donald Trump is handling the economy, reaching his lowest approval rating ever on an issue long considered one of his strengths with voters.

Sixty percent of Americans overall disapprove of Trump’s economic approach. The 33% who agreed is the lowest since Marist began asking the question in 2019.

Economic concerns were part of the reasons that fueled Trump’s return to office. Seventy-seven percent of people who voted for Trump in 2024 approve of how he is handling the issue now. But some voting groups that Trump won handily are not happy. This includes 54% of white voters who do not have a college degree.

High — but low — gas prices may be behind some of this pushback. Seventy-eight percent of Americans said gas prices had some impact on their household budgets.

78% of Americans said gas prices had some impact on their household budgets, according to the latest PBS News/NPR/Marist poll. Graphic by Steve Staples/PBS News

Trump’s economic approval rating is within a margin of error from its previous all-time low earlier this year. But it’s also lower than what former President Joe Biden saw at any point during his single term. In December 2020, just before Trump left office, half of Americans approved of how he was handling the economy.

Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, said the data shows Americans associate affordability challenges, such as rising gas prices and rising food costs, with the Trump presidency.

For some, “it’s Donald Trump, and that’s where the slippage comes in,” Miringoff said. He can’t get away with rising prices at the gas station and in the supermarket without being tainted by it.

A new poll from PBS, NPR and Marist shows that a third of Americans approve of the way President Donald Trump is handling the economy, hitting his lowest approval levels ever on an issue long considered one of his strengths with voters. Graphic by Steve Staples/PBS News

He added that others who blamed Biden for rising gas prices may remain in Trump’s corner because they now believe companies are manipulating prices.

Gas prices are down about 50 cents per gallon compared to last month after rising steadily since March, but they remain about 79 cents higher than they were a year ago. People may not yet be used to the decline, said Patrick De Haan, head of oil analysis at GasBuddy, adding that most of the U.S. still sees prices above $4 per gallon. Americans’ bleak views of gas may also be reinforced by traditional and social media.

“There’s still some real pain. The average package is still in the range of $8 to $16 more than it was a year ago,” De Haan said.

In this latest poll, 22% of Americans said they did not feel pressure from gas prices at all, up 3 percentage points from May, within the margin of error.

Read more: About 2 in 3 Americans blame Trump for rising gas prices

The president’s public approval ratings continue to decline, with 36% of adults saying they approve of the job he’s doing. This continues a downward trend since March 2025, which is the lowest approval rating Trump has seen during his second term. Among independent voters, 64% said they either disapproved or strongly disapproved, and 18% of Republicans said the same.

The president’s overall approval rating continues to decline, the latest PBS News/NPR/Marist reports find, with 36% of adults saying they approve of the job he’s doing. It is the lowest approval rating Trump has seen during his second term. Graphic by Steve Staples/PBS News

Overall, Americans’ economic concerns don’t seem to be stopping their summer travel plans, with 55% of adults saying they’re planning a vacation, down slightly from last year and exactly the same as when this question was asked in 2021.

Those who make $50,000 a year or more are more likely to say they take a vacation (63%) than those who make less than $50,000 (39%). But 66% of Americans overall said the cost somewhat or greatly affected their summer plans.

66% of Americans said the cost somewhat or greatly affected their summer plans, according to the latest PBS News/NPR/Marist poll. Graphic by Steve Staples/PBS News

More than a third of participants with incomes of less than $50,000 said they did not travel because of costs.

But many people earning the average wage or slightly above are unlikely to put a damper on their summer travel plans because of the price of gas, De Haan said.

Even some low-income families “will try to bend the knee to make things work,” he said.

“They may cut off their trips to restaurants, they may stop entertainment [on] “Their road trips,” he added. But those who make less than that may have difficulty finding alternatives.

“Americans continue to make travel a priority,” Rosanna Maietta, president and CEO of the American Hotel and Lodging Association, said in an email to PBS News. “People are not canceling travel as much as they are adjusting how they do it.”

She added that the group is seeing people booking shorter stays and showing consistent interest in budget and mid-range hotel options.

Read more: What could delayed jet fuel supplies mean for airlines and passengers?

Of those who say they won’t take a vacation this summer, nearly half said cost was their main reason for not traveling. Another 22% said they did not want to take a vacation this summer, while 10% said their vacation would be at a different time of year or they had health concerns. Eight percent said they had no vacation time available.

Miringoff added that opportunity may be a factor for parents on vacation. While 68% of parents with children under 18 say they are planning a vacation, this percentage drops to 50% for people with no children under 18 in their household. This may only be because parents with children in school consider summer to be an available time.

“There is an opportunity cost in the summer,” De Haan said. “You have three months a year of great summer weather, kids out of school — and people aren’t going to give that up.”

There is a generation gap too. 72% of Gen Z respondents said they are planning a summer vacation, compared to 62% of Millennials, 52% of Generation X and 41% of Baby Boomers and older generations. Although younger generations may not have the disposable income of older generations, they may be more likely to take measures to save on travel costs, such as sharing rental homes with friends, Miringoff said.

PBS News, NPR and Marist Poll conducted the poll from June 8-11, 2026, of 1,340 American adults by phone, text and online with a margin of error of 3.0 percentage points, and 1,162 registered voters with a margin of error of 3.3 percentage points. For Democrats, the margin of error is 5.6 percentage points; Republicans 5.7 percentage points. Independents 5.9 percentage points.