Trump’s Economic Approval Plummets for the First Time Since 2017: What It Means for America
For the first time since 2017, a majority of Americans now disapprove of Donald Trump’s handling of the economy, according to a new CNN poll. And honestly, it’s about time. 56% of Americans now express discontent with Trump’s so-called economic “leadership,” and that number is climbing faster than the price of eggs under his tariff policies. His previous worst rating of 49% in December 2020 now looks downright respectable compared to this.
What’s wild to me is that Trump has always been the guy people thought could “run America like a business.” Well, guess what? He is—and we’re all stuck in the corporate nightmare where the CEO gets a golden parachute, and the employees (aka us) get pink slips. His aggressive tariff policies and reckless economic moves are making it painfully clear that when it comes to finances, Trump should’ve just stuck to hawking steaks and reality TV.
Key Findings from Recent Polling
| Poll Date | Approval (%) | Disapproval (%) |
|---|---|---|
| March 2023 | 48% | 50% |
| June 2023 | 46% | 52% |
| September 2023 | 45% | 54% |
| December 2023 | 42% | 55% |
| March 2024 | 40% | 56% |
It doesn’t take an economics degree to see what’s happening. People are feeling the financial pain, and they’re finally realizing that Trump’s economic “genius” is about as real as his spray tan.
How Trump’s Economic Policies Are Wrecking Your Wallet
Trump’s economic policies—tariffs, deregulation, and an “America First” trade approach—were supposed to make life easier for hardworking Americans. Instead, they’ve made everything more expensive and less stable—kind of like the WiFi at a Trump hotel.
1. The Tariff Fallout: Everything Costs More
One of the biggest reasons Trump’s economic approval is tanking is his tariff policy. He promised to bring down prices—what he actually did was slap price hikes on everything from avocados to washing machines.
| Category | Products Affected | Price Increase (%) |
| Housing & Auto | Steel, aluminum, lumber | 15-30% |
| Electronics | Phones, computers, appliances | 10-20% |
| Groceries | Avocados, beef, chicken, rice | 5-15% |
| Pharmaceuticals | Medical devices, drugs | 12-25% |
If you’ve felt your grocery bill creeping up, that’s not inflation—it’s Trumpflation. And if you’ve had to replace an appliance recently, you already know the pain. This wasn’t some economic accident. Trump did this on purpose, thinking it would “punish” foreign companies. Instead, it punished us, while China, Mexico, and Canada just laughed all the way to the bank.
2. Watching Our 401(k)s Shrink in Real Time
As someone who actually understands financial stability, I can’t ignore the stock market meltdown happening under Trump’s watch. He loves to talk about being a business genius, yet every time he opens his mouth about tariffs, Wall Street collectively faceplants.
| Stock Index | Performance Under Biden (2021-2024) | Performance Under Trump (2024-Present) |
| S&P 500 | +38% | -12% |
| Dow Jones | +32% | -9% |
| Nasdaq | +45% | -15% |
If you’re one of the 62% of Americans with money in the stock market, congrats—you’re now watching your retirement savings evaporate in real time. It’s like Trump turned your 401(k) into a casino, but instead of playing poker, he’s just setting your chips on fire.
3. Even Business Leaders Are Sounding the Alarm
You know it’s bad when even pro-business conservatives are starting to sound the alarm. CNBC, which usually defends Trump’s economic policies, recently aired a segment where a reporter straight-up called Trump’s tariff strategy “insane.”
When corporate execs, who usually don’t care about anything except stock buybacks, start sweating over your economic policies, you know you’ve screwed up. Investors are pulling out of the U.S., foreign capital is fleeing, and businesses are rethinking expansion plans. Why? Because Trump keeps making up economic rules as he goes, and that’s not exactly a winning formula for stability.
4. Trump’s Solution? Pretend It’s Not Happening
You’d think after wrecking the stock market and making groceries unaffordable, Trump would step up with a real plan. Instead, he tells us to just stop looking at the market.
| Policy Response | Market Reaction |
| Tariff Announcements | Immediate declines in S&P 500 |
| Trade War Escalation | Foreign investment drop |
| Interest Rate Pressure | Increased market volatility |
If ignoring problems actually fixed them, I guess we’d all be billionaires by now. But unfortunately, that’s not how reality works—unless you live in Trump’s version of it, where economic crises vanish if you just refuse to acknowledge them.
What This Means for the Future
1. His Supporters Are Getting Nervous
Plenty of people voted for Trump because they believed he knew how to run an economy. Now? They’re feeling betrayed. He promised lower prices—he gave us tariffs. He promised a booming stock market—he gave us chaos. Even die-hard Trump supporters are realizing they got conned.
2. The 2024 Election Could Be Shaped by the Economy
We’ve seen it before. Bad economy? Say goodbye to the incumbent.
| Election Year | Economic Factor | Outcome |
| 1992 | Recession under Bush Sr. | Clinton wins |
| 2008 | Financial crisis | Obama wins |
| 2024 | Tariffs & market instability | ??? |
If Trump doesn’t turn this ship around, history says he’s about to go the way of every other president who tanked the economy—straight out of office.
Trump’s Economy is a Dumpster Fire
I can’t stress this enough—Trump’s economic policies are hurting everyday Americans like you and me. Prices are soaring, the stock market is in shambles, and instead of fixing it, Trump is hosting infomercials on the White House lawn.
We all feel the impact of a bad economy. Whether you voted for Trump or not, his economic decisions are making life harder, not easier. If he doesn’t course-correct soon, he might not get another chance to fix it. Or, in true Trump fashion, he’ll just blame someone else and move on.
