JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
President Trump took office with a big list of campaign promises to fulfill, vowing to crack down on illegal immigration and grow the U.S. economy. But 100 days later, a majority of Americans say that they disapprove of the job he is doing as president. That's according to the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist national poll that's out today. And NPR's Elena Moore is here to tell us all about it. Hi.
ELENA MOORE, BYLINE: Hey.
SUMMERS: So Elena, tell us, how are voters feeling about President Trump?
MOORE: Well, overall, Trump's approval rating is now down to 42%. And when asked to grade him on his first a hundred days, a plurality of Americans, 45%, gave him a failing grade. Democrats are really driving that - 8 in 10 feel that way - while just 5% of Republicans do. You know, instead, a majority gave the president an A. But Trump's standing with independents is notable. You know, he made gains with this group last fall, but in this poll, nearly half give him an F.
Michigan independent voter Michael Curwin wouldn't go that far with me. Four years ago, he voted for Joe Biden, but this fall, he flipped for Trump and says he puts the president in the B range. He does have some reservations, particularly around Trump's handling of the economy, so he says he isn't surprised that he got low marks from other independents.
MICHAEL CURWIN: I don't know if they really knew what they were getting into, a lot of them. I think he's doing too much too fast. It's going to definitely have a long-term effect on the economy.
SUMMERS: Elena Moore, stay with us on that for a second. President Trump ran on lowering prices. Do voters think that he's kept his promise there?
MOORE: Yeah, the economy was one of Trump's strongest issues during the election, but now 55% of adults say that they disapprove of his handling of the economy. Importantly, that includes 6 in 10 independents and 17% of Republicans. It's actually Curwin and Michigan's biggest hold-up. You know, part of the reason he supported Trump was because of the economy, so he says he's disappointed.
CURWIN: I don't think he's paid as much attention to it as he should have. It feels like it's the same basically as when it was Biden. I mean, everything's still kind of expensive.
SUMMERS: How much of the current disapproval might have to do with President Trump's tariff policy?
MOORE: I think it's pretty connected. I mean, many Americans are still regrouping after those big drops in the markets at the beginning of this month when Trump unveiled steep tariffs on countries around the world. He's walked many of those tariffs back, but that rollout didn't get good marks. I mean, nearly 6 in 10 Americans said that placing tariffs on imports hurts the U.S. economy.
SUMMERS: OK, and then there is immigration, which has, of course...
MOORE: Yeah.
SUMMERS: ...Been a central issue in President Trump's second term. What can you tell us about how voters are feeling about his immigration policy?
MOORE: A majority of independents disapprove, as do most Democrats. But for Republicans, reducing illegal immigration was the cornerstone of Trump's campaign. In fact, 87% think he's keeping that promise. And that holds true even on more divisive instances. You know, more than 7 in 10 Republicans approve of the administration's handling of the Kilmar Abrego Garcia case. And despite court orders, you know, the administration has refused to bring him back after illegally deporting him to El Salvador.
SUMMERS: Which brings us to another key part of Trump's first 100 days, which is his relationship with the courts. Where do voters stand there?
MOORE: There is very little disagreement here. You know, 85% of Americans agree that Trump should obey federal court rulings. That includes nearly 8 in 10 Republicans, you know, like Abby Smith in Texas, who is an attorney. But she does admit this is complicated for her.
ABBY SMITH: I have sympathy for both sides because on the one hand, you always want to follow the court's order, but on the other hand, I do think that many of the court orders have been unjustified and unreasonable.
MOORE: And Trump has said he would never defy the Supreme Court, but in the Abrego Garcia case, the justices did rule that the administration should facilitate his return. And, Juana, that has not happened.
SUMMERS: NPR's Elena Moore, thank you.
MOORE: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
