• Americans elected Trump to bolster the economy. But, so far, they're unimpressed.
• An array of new polls shows Trump in negative territory regarding his handling of the economy.
• Trump's trade policies have injected uncertainty into the economy and raised fears of a recession.

Last year, President Donald Trump rode a wave of voter angst over the economy to sweep the swing states and win a second term in the White House.

However, almost 100 days into Trump's second term, voters appear unimpressed, expressing dissatisfaction with the president's handling of inflation and tariffs.

In the latest Washington Post-Ipsos survey, conducted from April 18 through April 22, Trump had a 39% approval rating on the economy, with 61% of adults disapproving of the president's performance on the key issue. The survey found that 53% of adults feel that the economy has gotten worse since Trump took office for a second time, while 21% of respondents said it has improved.

Trump was also in negative territory regarding his handling of tariffs, with 64% of adults disapproving. When asked about the recent volatility in the stock market, adults by a more than 2-to-1 margin (67% to 31%) disapproved of Trump's handling of the issue.

In a recent CBS News/YouGov poll, conducted from April 23 through April 25, some 58% disapproved of his handling of the economy.

On inflation, an issue Trump relentlessly attacked former President Joe Biden on during the campaign, voters were even more sour on the president. About 62% of adults disapproved of his handling of the issue, while 53% said the economy was worsening. Just 28% of respondents said it was getting better.

In the latest New York Times/Siena College survey, which was also conducted in late April, 50% of registered voters said Trump has made the economy worse, while 21% of respondents said he's made it better. Some 27% of registered voters said the economy is roughly the same as it was before Trump's return to the Oval Office.

Overall, the Times/Siena College survey showed Trump's job approval rating at 42%, with 54% of registered voters disapproving of his job performance thus far.

Democrats have led the charge against Trump's trade approach, arguing that he has too much authority in setting tariff rates without congressional approval. Trump has also received some notable GOP pushback on tariffs, too. Seven senators have sided with Democrats on legislation to address the issue.

Trump has injected uncertainty into the economy with his on-again, off-again trade policy. The president levied sweeping tariffs on countries worldwide earlier this month, only to issue a 90-day pause on many of them a few days later. Trump's 10% baseline tariff, however, remains in effect for most countries, as do his steep tariffs on Chinese goods, which have sparked a trade war with China.

Supply chain researchers and logistics specialists who recently spoke with Business Insider said Americans might see higher prices and shelves with fewer available products if Trump continues to forge ahead with his confrontational trade approach.

• Most Americans see economic difficulty as the reality for 2025, according to a new Gallup poll.
• Republicans have a much rosier view of the US economy headed into the new year.
• Nearly eight-in-ten Republicans (78%) believe 2025 will be a year of economic prosperity in the US.

Most Americans are predicting economic difficulty and international discord in 2025, but Republicans are expressing broad economic enthusiasm weeks before President-elect Donald Trump is set to begin his second term, according to a new Gallup survey.

In the new poll, 56 percent of respondents said they believed that the coming year would bring economic difficulty, while 44 percent felt it would bring prosperity. And regarding international conflicts, roughly two-thirds (67 percent) of respondents foresee a year of political conflict, versus the 32 percent of respondents who see 2025 as a more peaceful year.

A majority of Republicans, buoyed by Trump's victory and the conservative agenda that'll be pursed by the forthcoming GOP-controlled Congress, had positive sentiments on virtually every economic and foreign policy topic.

Nearly eight-in-ten Republicans (78%) polled believe that 2025 will be a year of economic prosperity in the US, compared to 40% of independents and 15% of Democrats. And 63% of Republicans believe that 2025 will be a largely peaceful year on the international front, compared to only 28% of independents and a scant 8% of Democrats.

On other economic issues, Republicans are energized.

Among GOP respondents, 88% believe the stock market will climb in the new year, compared to 65% of independents and 46% of Democrats. (Overall 66% of respondents believe the stock market will rise in 2025, compared to 33% who believe it will decline.)

And 87% of Republicans believe prices will increase more reasonably in 2025, compared to 46% of independents and 23% of Democrats who share a similar view.

In 2024 — under President Joe Biden's tenure in office — the S&P 500 rose 23.3% percent. Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had a nearly 13% gain in 2024.

The November election was defined by the state of the economy, with Trump making inroads with broad swaths of voters over inflation and affordability concerns.

Biden last summer stepped aside as the Democratic presidential nominee in part because a poor debate performance against Trump, but one of the president's biggest challenges was his difficulty in selling his economic agenda to an American public that endured noticeable price increases during the COVID-19 pandemic.

When Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic presidential nominee, she sought to orient her campaign around economic concerns, laying out proposals to provide tax deductions for small businesses and offer $25,000 in down-payment support for some first-time homebuyers. She fell short in the swing states — notably in the "blue wall" — as Trump retained an advantage on economic issues throughout the campaign.

With Trump returning to the White House, Republicans — who were largely pessimistic about the economy under Biden — are now much more jubilant about what 2025 will offer.

The Gallup survey was conducted from December 4-15 among 2,121 adults.