President Donald Trump’s job approval rating has dropped to its lowest point of his second term, with 37 percent of Americans now expressing approval of his overall performance in a new NBC News poll conducted by SurveyMonkey, a decline of two percentage points from February and five percentage points from his December 2025 reading of 42 percent.
The poll, conducted across the first two weeks of April 2026 with 32,433 adults and a margin of error of 1.8 percentage points, captures a moment of acute economic anxiety shaped by the Iran war’s impact on oil prices, a volatile stock market and sustained concerns about the cost of living.
The steepest part of the decline is concentrated at the intensity level. The share of Americans who strongly approve of Trump has fallen to 20 percent, down from 26 percent at the same point in April 2025, while those who strongly disapprove now account for 50 percent of respondents, up from 42 percent a year ago. The combined disapproval figure, including both strong and somewhat disapproval categories, runs to 63 percent.
His economic approval numbers tell the sharpest story. In April 2025, June 2025 and August 2025, Trump’s approval on handling inflation and the cost of living held around 40 percent. In the new survey, conducted as oil prices spiked sharply on Strait of Hormuz tensions and the stock market reached its lowest point of the year before the ceasefire-driven recovery, that figure has dropped to 32 percent, with only 13 percent saying they strongly approve of his economic performance.
The timing is notable. The poll was in the field from March 30 to April 13, capturing the period of maximum market stress before the Strait of Hormuz reopening news and the subsequent equity rally to record highs. Whether the recovery in asset prices translates into improved consumer confidence in the weeks ahead will likely shape the trajectory of Trump’s approval through the summer.
The NBC News poll has tracked Trump’s approval consistently throughout both terms, providing the clearest available trend line on how the Iran conflict and its economic consequences are affecting his broader political standing.
