Donald Trump’s grip on Republicans is still intact, but it is no longer as firm as it was a few months ago. A new -NORC poll found that about 6 in 10 Republicans approve of how Trump is handling the economy, down from about 8 in 10 in February, even as his overall approval rating stands at 37%.
The poll, conducted by The -NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, lands as the war with Iran pushes gasoline prices higher. That has given fresh weight to economic attitudes at a moment when Trump is trying to hold together a coalition that remains loyal, but is showing more strain on the issue that often decides elections.
Among all U.S. adults, about one-third approve of how Trump is handling the economy. That is slightly below the 40% who approved at the start of his second term, a sign that his economic standing has softened outside the Republican base even as he still keeps most of his party behind him. His overall approval rating was 33% in April, so the latest reading marks a modest gain, but it leaves him firmly underwater with the broader public.
The numbers point to a president whose support is narrowing rather than collapsing. Republicans remain much more positive than everyone else, and a majority of them, 63%, still approve of Trump’s handling of the economy. But that is a clear drop from February, when about 8 in 10 Republicans said they approved, showing that even within his strongest bloc, the economic picture is less comfortable than it was earlier this year.
That split matters because the economy is moving against Trump at the same time foreign policy is adding pressure. Most Americans disapprove of his approach to Iran and foreign policy, leaving him with a familiar problem: strong loyalty from the GOP, but little room to expand beyond it. The war with Iran has also helped drive gasoline prices higher, making the economic debate harder for him to control.
Trump’s standing with Republicans may still be strong enough to keep the party aligned, but the latest poll shows that his economic approval is no longer holding at the level it did in February. If that slide continues, the question is not whether Republicans will abandon him; it is whether his weakest numbers outside the party will start to drag down the coalition he needs most.
