Most Americans disapprove of Trump on tariffs, Post-ABC-Ipsos poll finds
Nearly 2 out of 3 Americans disapprove of President Donald Trump’s handling of tariffs, a rebuke of the administration’s flagship economic policy, according to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos national poll.
Overall, 64% of Americans disapprove of the president’s efforts to raise import taxes, compared with 34% who approve, according to the poll conducted over the past week. The findings show that tariffs are one of the least popular issues so far in Trump’s presidency.
Opposition has been rising among households, businesses and investors to Trump’s newest tariffs, which include a 10 percent duty on all imports and up to 145% on Chinese goods. At the same time, consumers and business owners say they’re feeling increasingly downbeat about the economy, and economists are warning that a recession is more likely this year. The University of Michigan Survey of Consumers reported today that consumer sentiment fell for the fourth straight month in April, with Americans expecting prices to rise 6.5% in the next year, the highest since 1981.
Meanwhile, the value of the U.S. dollar and the stock market have both fallen sharply this year, with the S&P 500 this month posting its largest four-day loss on record, amid fears of a growing trade war.
The White House this week watered down its hard-line stance, with Trump saying Tuesday that he expects ongoing negotiations with China to result in “substantially” lower tariffs. But it is unclear when, and by how much, those rates might be adjusted. Chinese officials on Thursday pushed back against the idea that they’re negotiating with the United States or close to nearing a deal, adding to ongoing uncertainty for consumers and businesses.
Indeed, Americans across the political spectrum say tariffs will have a negative impact on inflation, including 47% of Republicans, 74% of independents and 90% of Democrats, according to the Post-ABC-Ipsos poll.
There is one bright spot for the administration, though: A majority of Americans — 59% — say tariffs will have a positive impact on creating more manufacturing jobs in the United States, including about 3 in 10 Democrats, nearly 6 in 10 independents and 9 in 10 Republicans. They expect a modest impact, with 35% of Americans saying tariffs will have a “somewhat” positive impact on manufacturing jobs while 24% expect a “very positive” impact.
Still, a larger group — 71% of Americans — expect tariffs to worsen inflation at a time when most people say prices for things they want and need are going up.
Matt Calvert, a longtime Republican in Citrus Heights, California, agrees with the president’s vision: It’d be great to make more products in the United States, he says. But he adds the reality is more complicated. He’s especially worried about higher prices because he’s disabled and on a fixed income.
“The idea of reshoring manufacturing is fine in concept for me, but I don’t think manufacturing iPhone cases here is going to create quality jobs,” said Calvert, 50, who wrote-in a vote for Nikki Haley in the election. “Trump sees the world in a very zero-sum way — you’re either costing the United States money or you’re not. But I think a certain amount of nuance is important here.”
The White House has long maintained that strict tariffs and “America First” policies are necessary to reset the economy and revive U.S. manufacturing. But contentious trade policies have many Americans questioning that premise. More than half — 56% — say tariffs will negatively impact U.S. economic leadership in the world. The divisions break along political lines, with 8 in 10 Republicans saying import taxes will have a positive impact on U.S. economic leadership; but 6 in 10 independents and about 9 in 10 Democrats say the opposite, the poll finds.
In Ohio, Rhonda Andrews says she hasn’t been particularly surprised by the president’s tariff policies — they were, after all, a key part of his campaign — though she’s been put off by what she considers to be his “bullying tactics.” Although Andrews supported Trump in 2016, she didn’t like the “constant negative banter” during his first term and voted for Kamala Harris in 2024.
“You’re either putting a tariff on things or you aren’t, but to constantly change things up and say there’s room for negotiation? I don’t get that,” said Andrews, who’s 60 and does data entry work. “And in the meantime companies are already raising their prices.”
The Post-ABC-Ipsos poll was conducted April 18 to April 22 among 2,464 U.S. adults. The sample was drawn through the Ipsos KnowledgePanel, an ongoing panel of U.S. households recruited by mail using random sampling methods. The margin of error is plus or minus two percentage points for the full sample.