A new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll has delivered a seasonal dose of misery: most Americans are feeling the summer blues, and they're pointing fingers at President Trump and the economy. Only a third of Americans approve of how Trump is handling the economy - three points lower than the worst marks given to former President Joe Biden. Overall, just 36% approve of Trump's job performance, while 59% disapprove, marking the widest gap Trump has faced in either term.
In a midterm election year where Democrats are showing more enthusiasm to vote and see a path to regain control of both the House and Senate, 22% of Republicans say they disapprove of Trump's handling of the economy. The share of Republicans who strongly approve of Trump's job performance dropped to 53% in June from 61% in April. Regina Kulenga, a 36-year-old Trump voter in Georgia, told NPR she wasn't sure if she would vote in the midterms, calling Trump's actions since returning to office a "slap in the face." "The economy is suffering a lot right now, and I just feel like a lot of the things that he did promise, you know, we're still waiting," she said. While Kulenga drives an electric car and doesn't worry about high gas prices, she said family members are struggling with rising costs for transportation and groceries.
More than three-quarters of Americans continue to say gas prices are a strain on their budgets, even as average gas prices have fallen about 40 cents a gallon from a month ago, according to AAA. The survey was taken before the latest announcement of an agreement between the U.S. and Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Those concerns have a real-world impact: 45% of Americans say they don't plan on taking a summer vacation this year, with about half of those people citing cost as the main reason. The survey of 1,340 respondents was conducted June 8-11 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.0 percentage points.
The erosion in Trump's support continues across multiple demographic groups that were key to his victory in 2024. When asked specifically about the economy, only one-third of white Americans without a college degree approve of Trump's handling, down from nearly half in April 2025. Still, the vast majority of Republicans are sticking by Trump, like 68-year-old Greg Votel, a retired law enforcement officer in Minnesota, who said the president "can only do so much when you have a Congress that's fighting him tooth and nail to preserve the Democratic Party." "It doesn't happen overnight," he told NPR. "It's going to take some time, it's going to probably take at least two administrations. Trump's got the ball rolling."
There are many economic factors working against Republicans this year, including high inflation, the ongoing war in Iran, higher gas prices, and Trump administration policies around tariffs. When asked if they planned to take a vacation this summer, 55% said yes - similar to 2025 and 2021 - but cost was listed as a top factor against planning a trip, especially for those with a household income under $50,000, Gen X, and those outside large cities and suburbs. Vacation or not, two-thirds of adults say cost has had some or a great deal of impact on their summer plans, including 53% of Republicans and 49% of those over 60.