Jason Lange
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s approval rating edged up to 41 percent over the past week as Republicans warmed to his handling of the cost of living, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, suggesting the administration’s new focus on affordability could bolster his popularity.
The six-day poll, which ended on Monday, showed the president’s approval rating rising from 38% late last month, the lowest level since Trump returned to the White House in January. Trump begins his second term with an approval rating of 47%.
Republicans fared poorly in a handful of state elections in November as Democrats attacked the Trump administration for persistently high inflation. But Trump has struck a stronger tone on the topic in recent weeks, scaling back some tariff increases and pledging to tackle high food prices.
Trump even described Democratic attention to the issue as a “hoax.” He is scheduled to deliver a speech on affordability and other economic issues in Pennsylvania, a national election battleground state, on Tuesday. Several congressional races in Pennsylvania will get very competitive next year, with all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives at stake.
Trump’s performance on the cost of living received an approval rating of 31%, one of his worst approval scores. But that’s up from 26% at the end of November.
His approval rating increased by 10 percentage points, with 69% of Republicans rating him favorably on the issue. About 85% of Republicans approve of his overall performance as president, up from 82% last month.
Under Trump’s predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden, U.S. inflation soared and economic pain helped Trump defeat Biden’s Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. Inflation remains high under Trump, with prices rising 3% in the 12 months to September, above the historical norm of around 2%.
Trump’s rise in support is also due to a small increase in his support among Latinos, a group that swung in Trump’s direction in last year’s election. In the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, some 34% of Latinos said they approved of Trump’s performance in the White House, up from 32% in late November.
The latest survey gathered responses from 4,434 U.S. adults nationwide and was conducted online. Its margin of error, a measure of accuracy, is 2 percentage points in either direction.
(Reporting by Jason Lange in Washington; Editing by Scott Malone and Cynthia Osterman)
