Americans believe that Trump has made the economy worse.

According to the latest CNN poll, 59% of Americans believe that President Donald Trump's policies have worsened the country's economic situation. This percentage has risen from 51% in March and is on par with the worst figure seen during his predecessor Joe Biden's presidency.

The survey revealed that Americans remain dissatisfied with the national economy and unenthusiastic about the White House's new comprehensive trade policies. With the impact of the new tariffs still unclear, many said that President Trump's policies have raised the cost of living, with only 12% saying that his agenda has helped lower prices.

CNN reports that, overall, 69% of Americans believe a recession is at least likely to occur next year, including 32% who believe it is very likely. Only 34% of Americans consider themselves optimistic about the economy, with 29% saying they are pessimistic and 37% saying they are fearful.

Widespread discontent with Donald Trump's economic management marks a new chapter for a president who received largely positive reviews for his handling of the economy in his first term. Trump, who pledged during his 2024 campaign to "immediately bring prices down, starting Day One," easily won over voters who were concerned about the economy.

“Everything I’ve worked my whole life to get is rapidly disappearing,” a 59-year-old man from Georgia worried about retirement amid a volatile stock market, responding to a poll. “It will probably take years to recover what I’ve lost because of what’s happening,” he added.

However, the Republican party's view of the overall economic situation has shown increasing positivity over the past month, and most Republicans have indicated they expect the tariffs to have a positive long-term impact on the national economy.

55% of Americans believe that President Trump's actions on tariffs so far in his term have been "bad policy."

The survey was conducted from April 17 to 24, with 1,678 participants. This period followed the White House's initial announcement of expanded tariffs on dozens of countries, followed by a temporary halt to their implementation in many of those countries. A series of back-and-forth statements continued throughout the survey regarding the state of international trade negotiations and the ultimate goals of the tariffs. 58% of Americans said they did not believe Trump had a clear strategy when announcing and implementing the tariffs.

Most people believe that President Trump's tariff policy will have a negative impact on the US economy in the short term (72%), the US's standing in the world (60%), and their personal finances (59%), while few believe that tariffs will help the US on any of these fronts.