Trump’s first 100 days: Record number of executive orders, few new laws
Comparing President Donald Trump’s legislative actions during the first 100 days of his term to those of past presidents. (Scripps News)
Scripps News
President Donald Trump’s net approval rating dipped to -13 percentage points in a new poll by The Economist/YouGov.
The poll surveying 1,625 U.S. adults from April 19-22 found 41% of respondents approved of Trump’s job, compared to 54% who disapproved. That’s down from the -10 net approval rating found in the prior week’s poll by The Economist/YouGov.
Trump started off his term with higher approval ratings than those he received in his first term. But his approval ratings in April 2017 (first term) and April 2025 (second term) are the two lowest approval marks among any newly-elected president since 1953, historical data from Gallup shows.
President Joe Biden’s approval ratings at this point in his presidency were positive by 11 percentage points, according to YouGov.
The latest Economist/YouGov survey is one of many recent polls showing a decline in Trump’s approval rating. A RealClearPolitics poll average shows the president’s aggregate approval rating turned net negative around March 13, during a week of an escalating trade war with neighboring Canada. Since then, the RealClearPolitics average approval rating has dropped to -4.1 percentage points, as of April 22.
Economist/YouGov poll shows ratings on immigration, economy lower than first term
Trump’s second term has kicked off with mass layoffs in the federal government, widespread tariffs, an escalating trade war with China and a deportation program that has led to a bitter court battle. The stock market has been volatile with worries of inflation and a recession as Trump nears 100 days in office.
The economy and immigration were both central issues during the presidential campaign and voters tended to favor Trump to handle them.
But Trump’s net approval on his handling of the economy was -12 percentage points, according to the latest Economist/YouGov poll, down from -7 the week prior and +12 at the beginning of the term. At the same time marker during Trump’s first term, more people approved by 5 percentage points, according to YouGov.
Similarly, Trump’s approval rating on his handling of immigration has dropped drastically since the beginning of his term. The latest polling from YouGov shows a net negative approval rating of -5 percentage points compared to a net positive approval by 11 percentage points at the beginning of the term. At the same time during his first term, he had an approval rating of -4 percentage points on immigration, according to YouGov.
The newest Economist/YouGov poll included 1,446 registered voters with a margin of error of ±3.3 percentage points. (A poll’s margin of error describes how accurately we can count on the survey results being representative of the entire population.)
Kinsey Crowley is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected]. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @kinseycrowley.bsky.social.