CBS poll shows broad disapproval of Trump on economy, inflation, Iran
Trump faced 65% disapproval on the economy and 71% on inflation, while 63% said the Iran war was going badly for the United States.
A new CBS News poll found 65% of Americans disapprove of Donald Trump’s handling of the economy, 71% disapprove of his handling of inflation and 63% think the war in Iran is going badly for the United States. The numbers point to a single political problem for the White House: foreign policy and household finances are being judged together as a test of presidential competence.
The inflation weakness sits on top of months of frustration over prices. In a CBS News poll on Feb. 27, 2025, a large majority of Americans said their incomes were not keeping pace with inflation, while most said prices remained a major factor in how they judged the economy, which they continued to describe as bad. Later CBS News polling found Americans wanted Trump to focus more on lowering prices, and one year into his term many respondents said there still had not been enough focus on inflation.
The Iran question is feeding the same pattern. CBS News said Americans’ concerns about the war were tied to how long it was lasting, how it was being communicated and its impact on the economy. Anthony Salvanto, CBS News’ executive director of elections and surveys, said in a Face the Nation appearance that the poll showed many Americans felt the Iran war was not going well and that those feelings were connected to the length of the war, communication about it and its effect on the economy.
The weakness is not confined to one party’s voters. CBS News polling showed Trump’s approval on immigration remained higher than his ratings on the economy and inflation, making the economic questions his clearest liabilities. About half of Republicans approved of Trump’s handling of the cost of living, and younger Republicans were particularly unhappy. That matters because it shows the slide is not only coming from Democrats and independents, but from the broader right-of-center coalition that has usually been more forgiving on economic questions.
Taken together, the polling suggests Trump’s standing is being shaped less by separate verdicts on inflation, Iran and immigration than by one broader assessment of whether he is in control of the country’s most immediate risks. For now, immigration remains a relative strength, but the economy, prices and Iran have become the main places where voters are measuring his performance.
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