President Donald Trump received his worst approval on the economy across both his presidencies in a new poll by CNN/SSRS released April 1.
The poll found 31% of Americans approve of how Trump is handling the economy, compared to 39% in January 2026. The decline in approval on the issue is even higher among Republicans, especially Republicans under 45 years old, according to CNN.
The poll, conducted March 26-30 among 1,201 U.S. adults, found 35% approve of Trump’s job performance overall. The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.
How does that compare to Trump’s overall approval rating? What else did the poll show about voters’ views on the economy? Here is what to know:
‘Outrageous’: Sky-high gas prices are changing the way Americans live
CNN poll shows gas prices after Iran frustrating Americans
The new CNN poll comes as gas prices in the U.S. have surpassed $4 per gallon on average, according to AAA. Before the U.S. and Israel struck Iran, low gas prices were a talking point for the Trump administration facing negative public opinion on the economy overall.
CNN reported that their poll found about two-thirds of Americans say Trump’s policies have worsened economic conditions and 27% say they approve of Trump’s handling of inflation.
CNN also reported 63% of Americans say the prices at the pump have caused financial hardship in their household, including 15% calling it “severe.”
One poll respondent told CNN and the pollster about the most important issue facing the country: “Prices! Everything is so expensive. Makes it very difficult to do anything other than work and go home. Trips to the grocery store are ridiculous! Between gas and grocery prices, we are poor!”
Trump addressed the concerns about gas prices in his address to the nation on April 1, saying the Strait of Hormuz would reopen when the conflict was over and the prices would fall again.
What is Trump’s average approval rating?
Here is a look at some polling aggregators to understand how CNN/SSRS’s poll compares to the average Trump approval numbers as of April 2:
Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at KCrowley@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X (Twitter), Threads, Bluesky and TikTok.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump’s approval rating on the economy hits new low per CNN
