Here's What's Driving Trump's Approval Numbers

The market has been volatile. Canada has been throwing a tantrum over the new tariff policy, and the legacy media thinks they landed a haymaker on President Trump over the Signal story. To recap, that inside-the-beltway kerfuffle was admittedly a self-inflicted wound. Top Trump officials were discussing anti-Houthi operations on the encrypted messenger app, and someone accidentally added the anti-Trump fake news writer Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic onto the chat. Goldberg claims that top-secret war plans were discussed. That’s a lie. 

The mainstream media said that the American people find this to be a grave issue. Another lie—and the press is not winning. I’ve seen that talking point tossed around, which provides a funny juxtaposition since Trump’s approval rating is soaring. Even CNN polls have the president with a high approval rating. What’s causing it? Believe it or not, it’s from a swath of new supporters from younger voter blocs (via RealClearPolitics):

In 2024, several new groups of voters joined the Trump movement, including people who had not voted for him in 2020 or 2016 and were not previously Republican voters, such as more young, lower-income, and Hispanic Americans. Whether they can be maintained with post-Trump GOP candidates remains to be seen, but according to polls so far, they are more approving of the second Trump administration than they were the first.

In the latest Gallup polls, Trump’s approval overall was up three points in the January–March period of his second term compared to his first, from 42% to 45%. 

The biggest gains weren’t in traditional conservative voters, though. Among adults age 65 and older, approval dropped by six points from this time during 2017 to now. Among non-Hispanic white adults, approval dropped by two points. 

The gains in approval instead came with the new sections of Trump voters. Among younger people ages 18–29 and 30–49, approval grew by six points, from 31% to 37%. Approval among people of color increased by 12%, and approval among Hispanic adults increased by 15%. His approval also increased with Republicans, from 87% to 92%, further proving his consolidation of support among the Republican Party, of which more were skeptical during his first term. 

These numbers could have been a bit higher if the president had opted to prioritize passing the budget reconciliation package through Congress first. This package has some red meat domestic agenda items rolled into it, like extending the Trump tax cuts, which created a booming economy during the first Trump presidency. Trump chose to duke it out with Mexico and Canada over tariffs first, which has led to market volatility, though a reset was due regardless. 

Eye on the prize, though, by getting this budget reconciliation through.

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