President Donald Trump has seen a resurgence in his approval ratings after experiencing a significant dip just over a week ago. According to the latest survey conducted by Daily Mail/JL Partners, his approval now stands at 46 percent, a rise from the 42 percent recorded on March 20. This recent poll, carried out on March 23 and 24, coincided with Trump’s announcement that the U.S. was engaging in talks with Iran to potentially broker a peace agreement.
Ongoing Talks Fail to Deliver Breakthrough
Although these discussions have not yet achieved a breakthrough, as the conflict marked its one-month anniversary on Saturday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt expressed optimism on Monday. She assured that, despite the public rhetoric and misleading reports, negotiations are progressing positively. Leavitt also affirmed that Trump’s projected timeline of ‘four to six weeks’ remains valid. The poll reveals that 54 percent of registered voters currently disapprove of Trump’s performance, an improvement from the 58 percent disapproval rating earlier in the month.
Strong Disapproval Outpaces Support for Trump
However, the President faces a considerable challenge, as more individuals express strong disapproval than strong approval of his work. The survey from March 24 indicates that 40 percent of voters are strongly disapproving, while only 24 percent are strongly approving of Trump’s performance. Nevertheless, he retains substantial support within his party, with 84 percent of Republicans and 79 percent of his voter base endorsing his job performance. Conversely, only 34 percent of independents have a favorable view of Trump’s actions.
Independents often make up the difference in close Congressional races, so this number could signal trouble for Republican candidates ahead of the November midterms. Trump’s numbers are, not surprisingly, in the gutter with Democrats, with only 11 percent approving of the job he’s done. Pollsters surveyed 1,019 registered voters online, giving the poll a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percent. The Daily Mail’s polling has thus far shown that voters are skeptical of the Iran war but are even more worried about the impact the war will have on the economy.
In the March 20 survey, 28 percent of respondents cited the war as the top reason they disapproved of Trump. Even more voters, 44 percent, said they disapproved of Trump due to his handling of inflation. During the President’s 2024 campaign, Trump pledged to cut costs – as Americans were still reeling from high prices in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic – and pledged not to start ‘forever’ wars. The March 20 poll found that Americans are unwilling to suffer economic pain to guarantee a military victory. Only 19 percent said they would tolerate gas prices increasing by $1.
Even fewer, 12 percent, said they would be OK if gas prices increased $2 a gallon to ensure a win in Iran. Gas prices have already gone up $1 in one month, according to a AAA assessment published Thursday. Just ahead of the Iran strikes, gas was averaging $2.98 a gallon nationally. Last week it ticked up to $3.98 a gallon, and today it stands at $3.99, according to AAA.
