WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump’s approval ticked slightly lower in recent weeks as Americans worried about the health of the US economy and the Republican’s ability to contain rising prices, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.
The three-day poll, which closed on Sunday, showed 41 per cent of respondents approved of Trump’s performance as president, down from 42 per cent in a September 5-9 poll.
Some 54 per cent of people surveyed said the national economy was on the wrong track, up from 53 per cent in an August poll and 52 per cent in July.
Only 35 per cent of poll respondents approved of Trump’s stewardship over the economy, and 28 per cent gave him a thumbs up on his handling of their cost of living, with both readings slightly lower than in previous polls. Trump returned to the White House this year after promising in his election campaign last year to fix the economy.
US job growth weakened sharply in August when the unemployment rate rose to a nearly four-year high at 4.3 per cent, while inflation also accelerated last month.
Public concerns over the economy were higher earlier in the year when Trump was threatening to aggressively impose tariffs on imported goods, sparking sharp declines in stock market values.
Following this month’s assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Trump has focused much of his rhetoric on the alleged danger his political opponents pose for the nation, telling a Kirk memorial on Sunday that “the violence comes largely from the left.”
