President Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen in the weeks since returning to office, as voters are becoming more concerned about the state of the economy.
The latest findings come from the Emerson College Polling survey, released just after Trump’s first 50 days of his second term closed out. It found that the president’s approval rating is currently at 47%, with 45% of respondents disapproving of the job he’s doing.
The latest numbers are a drop from when he was sworn in, as his numbers in January sat at 49% approving and 41% disapproving.
When it comes to what’s driving the drop in approval, Spencer Kimball, the executive director of Emerson College Polling, says it’s a rising concern for the economy.
“Despite not yet delivering on the economy in voters’ minds, Trump’s support remains strong,” Kimball said in a release. “However, the true challenge will be how voters perceive their financial future. While little has shifted since the election, the initial ‘honeymoon phase’ seems to be coming to an end.”
The poll found that 48% of voters disapprove of the way Trump is handling the economy, with only 37% approving. The economy remains his weakest area among voters, as well as health care and cryptocurrency.
When it comes to what he’s doing right, 48% of voters approve of how he has handled immigration, while 40% feel he’s gone too far.
Trump has spoken about the economic uncertainty the country may face in the coming months as he continues to wage a trade war on the nation’s allies. He recently addressed recession concerns, saying that a “period of transition” would occur as he continues to push through tariffs.
While Trump maintains that the tariffs will be beneficial to Americans, the poll showed most don’t agree, as 53% of respondents think they will hurt economic growth. Another 46% said Trump’s policies are making the economy worse, with only 28% feeling they were making it better.
Still, the poll found that most Americans were expecting this type of job performance from Trump, with 25% saying he’s doing as expected, 40% feeling he’s doing better than expected, and 36% saying he’s doing worse.
The poll was conducted from March 8-10 and included responses from 1,000 registered voters. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.