Appendix: Additional Charts and Data

President Donald Trump’s job approval rating has fallen to 34%, marking the lowest point of his second term, according to a new analysis by the Pew Research Center released May 1, 2026. The data indicates a steady decline in public assessment of the president over recent months, extending across both personal attributes and specific policy areas.

The findings are based on a survey of 5,103 U.S. Adults conducted between April 20 and April 26, 2026, as part of the Center’s American Trends Panel. The survey represents the views of the full U.S. Adult population.

Declines in Personal Attributes and Trust

Public perception of the president’s personal traits has seen a notable downturn. One of the most significant drops occurred in the perception of the president’s reliability; 38% of Americans now say keeps his promises describes Trump very or fairly well. This is a decrease from 43% in August 2025 and 51% shortly after his reelection in November 2024.

Similarly, the share of respondents who describe the president as mentally sharp has fallen to 44%, down from 48% in August 2025. While a majority of Americans still view the president as someone who stands up for his beliefs, that figure has also slipped to 64%, compared to 68% last summer.

Confidence in Policy Handling

The Pew Research Center report highlights a decline in public confidence regarding the president’s ability to handle key national issues. Confidence in Trump’s decision-making on immigration policy now stands at 41%, a drop from 46% in August 2025 and 53% shortly after the 2024 election.

Confidence in the president’s ability to use military force wisely has also decreased, with 38% of respondents expressing confidence today, compared to 46% last summer.

Economic policy remains one of the president’s strongest areas, though it has also seen a slight shift. Currently, 42% of Americans express confidence in his economic decision-making, down from 44% in August 2025. The report notes that while the economy is among his best-rated issues, fewer overall respondents are confident in his handling of it than are not.

Partisan Shifts in Approval

The decline in the president’s standing is not limited to Democratic voters; Republicans have also shown a decrease in support. Among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, 68% approve of how Trump is handling his job as president, a decrease from 73% in January 2026.

Other metrics among the GOP base show similar trends:

• 70% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents say keeps his promises describes the president at least fairly well, down 6 percentage points from last year and 14 percentage points from November 2024.
• 72% express confidence in the president to use military force wisely, an 11-point drop from last year.
• General GOP confidence in the president’s foreign policy has declined by 7 points over the same period.

In contrast, Democrats and Democratic leaners continue to show near-universal disapproval of the president, a trend that has remained largely unchanged.