President Donald Trump’s approval rating has risen slightly amid signs of easing economic pressure, according to a new Daily Mail poll. The outlet’s survey, conducted with J.L. Partners, found Trump’s approval ticking up from 45 percent on Nov. 21 to 47 percent as of Dec. 4.
The poll surveyed 1,000 registered voters online and has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points. The two-point uptick comes as inflation pressures have eased and consumer spending surged over the Thanksgiving holiday, despite ongoing concerns about affordability that President Trump has dismissed as a “Democrat scam.”
Both Black Friday and Cyber Monday set online spending records, with consumers spending $44.2 billion online over the full Thanksgiving weekend, according to Adobe Analytics.
Gas prices have also fallen, with the national average dipping below $3 per gallon for the first time since 2021, AAA reported. The current average is well below median prices from 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Meanwhile, U.S. GDP growth appears to be at its strongest point since the third quarter of 2023, driven in large part by higher consumer spending, according to recent data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Ths survey found that Trump’s disapproval rating was 53 percent.
Meanwhile the president has pushed back on the Democratic Party’s renewed interest in “affordability” issues after ignoring the issue during former President Joe Biden’s term, which saw historic inflation.
“Our prices now for energy, for gasoline, are really low. Electricity is coming down. And when that comes down, everything comes down,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting last week. “The word affordability is a Democrat scam. Affordability is a hoax that was started by Democrats who caused the problem of pricing.”
Trump has rolled out a series of policies aimed at reducing costs for consumers.
Earlier in the week, he rolled back gas-emission standards put in place during the Biden administration. He also recently directed pharmaceutical companies to lower drug prices and launched a White House prescription-drug portal, TrumpRx, which the administration says will reduce costs by removing “third-party” intermediaries.
Trump has additionally promoted a domestic policy package enacted in July that will lower taxes on tips, overtime pay and Social Security income beginning next year.
Meanwhile, Trump is embarking on an “affordability tour” this week to promote his economic agenda and address concerns about prices and inflation. He aims to counter Democratic criticisms by highlighting his administration’s efforts to improve economic conditions, despite ongoing public concerns about affordability issues.
“He will kick off his economics-focused tour at a casino in northeastern Pennsylvania Tuesday, where he is expected to tout lower gas prices, his role securing $100 billion in energy and artificial intelligence investments for the Keystone State and his approval for Japanese investment in US Steel,” the New York Post reported.
Although Trump campaigned on a pledge to “make America affordable again,” Democrats have begun adopting the affordability message as they shape their strategy for the November congressional elections.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) are emphasizing concerns over health care, housing, food and energy costs, Axios first reported.
On Thursday, Schumer posted an Instagram video featuring footage of Trump promoting affordability during last year’s campaign, edited alongside more recent clips focusing on Trump’s claim that the issue is a “Democrat hoax.”
“Trump’s done a lot on his own — as much as possible and then some given the 60-vote threshold in the Senate — and he’s reasserted American leadership on the world stage. But, domestically, many voters, including within his own coalition, don’t know what’s being done or don’t think enough is being done,” said Michigan Republican strategist Dennis Lennox.
“They’re hearing constant headlines about white-collar job losses from AI. They don’t yet feel the full impact of declining inflation. And when they look at their paychecks, wages haven’t risen as quickly as they expected. The disconnect between what the administration is advancing and what voters are feeling in real time is driving much of the current frustration,” he told The Post.
