Trump Faces Historic 100-Day Disapproval Crisis

President Donald Trump is approaching his first 100 days back in office with the lowest approval rating of any newly elected US president in over 70 years.

As he pushes forward with sweeping efforts to reshape the government, public sentiment is increasingly turning against him — and the numbers leave little room for debate.

A new wave of national polls released Sunday shows a majority of Americans disapprove of Trump’s performance, with his approval rating hovering between 39% and 45%.

The Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll recorded a 39% approval, CNN/SSRS placed it at 41%, and NBC News Stay Tuned pushed it to 45%.

Whichever figure Trump might prefer, it still marks the weakest 100-day performance for a first-term president since World War II.

The decline is steep.

Trump re-entered the White House with a slight boost in favourability, but that early momentum has quickly evaporated.

Voters are growing increasingly sceptical of his rapid attempts to overhaul key government policies without delivering clear results.

Even Trump's traditionally stronghold issue — the economy — is showing cracks.

Trust in his economic leadership has dropped significantly, with CNN/SSRS reporting that only 52% of adults still have confidence in his economic management, a sharp 13-point fall since December.

Economic anxiety is surging.

According to the Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll, 72% of Americans believe it is “very” or “somewhat” likely that Trump’s economic policies could trigger a recession.

Meanwhile, his aggressive tariff strategies are fuelling additional discontent, with 61% of respondents in the NBC News Stay Tuned poll disapproving of his handling of trade.

Inflation remains another major pressure point, with 60% dissatisfied with his approach to the rising cost of living.

Trump built his 2024 comeback campaign on promises to fix these very problems.

Yet, as concerns mount across multiple fronts, voters are increasingly signalling that his solutions may be doing more harm than good.

Partisan Gap Widens as Independent Support for Trump Crumbles

Immigration, a cornerstone of President Trump’s platform, is also becoming a major liability in the polls.

According to the CNN/SSRS survey, only 45% of Americans now approve of his handling of immigration — a steep drop from the 60% approval he enjoyed in December.

Partisan lines remain firmly drawn, with most Republicans still backing him and Democrats overwhelmingly opposed.

However, the most troubling shift for Trump lies with independent voters, who increasingly hold the balance of power.

While Trump narrowly lost independents last November, new data suggests he is bleeding even more support: the Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll shows 58% of independents disapprove of his leadership.

This erosion among independents paints a stark warning for Trump.

His first 100 days have not been a story of renewed momentum, but rather a flashing red signal that he is losing critical ground where it matters most.

He returned to office vowing to reshape the country — yet, three months in, many Americans see a president burning through political capital at an alarming pace.

If this downward trend continues, it raises serious questions about how much longer he can sustain public confidence.