Trump’s first 100 days seen as bringing big changes, but still too much focus on tariffs — CBS News poll

Is 100 days enough time to evaluate this president? His supporters generally don’t think so, but others do — perhaps because most Americans think President Trump is already making major changes to how the government — and the U.S. economy — work. 

Those opening days, in public opinion terms, have been marked by Mr. Trump’s continued support from a loyal base of supporters, but also a widespread and growing belief among others that the administration is focused too much on tariffs and not enough on lowering prices. That’s weighing on his approval ratings on the economy and inflation, which have gone down.

Alongside that, he continues to get majority approval for his deportation program, though more Americans prioritize the economy in their evaluations of him. 

MAGA Republicans, in contrast, say their evaluations are based more on immigration and overwhelmingly approve of his efforts there. Plus they have a much rosier outlook on the U.S. economy than Americans overall now that Trump is in office, and most of them say it is too soon to judge him.

Others who voted for him, but who don’t identify as MAGA, have become a little less approving of his handling of the economy and inflation in recent months. And since the start of his term, his approval rating has slid among some groups he made gains with in the 2024 election, including independents, young people, and Hispanic people.

Overall, Mr. Trump sees disapproval on the economy from those who think he’s put too much focus on tariffs. 

And meanwhile, Democrats overwhelmingly disapprove of what they see from him, want their party to oppose him more and say they’re “frustrated” with the Democratic Party’s response so far. Mr. Trump’s approval rating among people who sat out the ’24 election started out higher, too.

Those perceived changes elicit different judgments, though. Republicans say they are for the better, and Democrats, the worse. Asked how Trump’s presidency so far has made them feel, most Republicans say they’re satisfied, while Democrats and independents say they’re frustrated and nervous. 

Measuring a president at 100 days is something of a contrivance that is based on a marker set during Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s first term back in the 1930s. Then again, many presidents come in promising a lot of action quickly. Most Americans do think they can judge this administration in that time frame. Mr. Trump’s 2024 voters, and most of his current approvers, are less likely to think it’s enough time, whereas his disapprovers think it’s enough.

Tariffs, promises and prices

Mr. Trump’s voters widely believe he’s doing what he promised in the campaign. Most of the public agrees — whether or not they like what he’s doing — though the percentage is down from the early weeks of his term.

People who think Mr. Trump is putting too much focus on tariffs are more likely to say he’s doing different things from what he promised.

Here’s how differences on economics play out:

MAGA Republicans stand apart in their outlook for the U.S. economy. While most Americans say it is getting worse, MAGA Republicans say it is getting better. They also rate the current economy much better than others do. So, while evaluations of the economy remain mostly bad, Republicans’ views have pushed the overall ratings up a bit, with an even larger partisan gap now.

Overall, more Americans continue to say Trump’s policies are making them financially worse off than better off. Expectations at the start of his term were different — more expected his policies to improve their finances.

Two-thirds of those who think they’re being made worse off say he isn’t doing what he promised.

And that has led to declining approval of his handling of the economy and inflation, specifically. Both ratings are now their lowest levels of the term so far. His rating on inflation is driven very much by the impact of his policies people see on prices.

Support for tariffs has been declining, as a rising number of Americans feel the administration is focusing too much on the issue. And over recent weeks, fewer now believe Mr. Trump has a clear plan for tariffs and trade.

When asked to pick what issue is most important to them in judging the Trump administration, the economy and immigration top the list. Those judging Mr. Trump on immigration heavily approve of his overall job performance, while those judging him on the economy disapprove in large numbers.

Mr. Trump’s overall approval rating is down from the high at the start of this term.

Immigration and deportation

Most Americans think Mr. Trump’s policies have reduced border crossings. Most also continue to approve of his deportation program in general.

Meanwhile, three-quarters say it isn’t acceptable if some legal residents are detained by mistake as part of that program. A large eight in 10 say it wouldn’t be acceptable if some legal residents are deported to foreign countries. 

And most who don’t think these things would be acceptable disapprove of his overall handling of immigration.

(On this, MAGA Republicans do stand differently from others, coming in about twice as likely as Americans overall to say legal residents being detained would be acceptable.)

It may be that the perceived implementation of the deportation plan is affecting larger views of how Mr. Trump is handling immigration, even as a majority approve of the deportation program in general. On balance, his handling of immigration, generally, is lower than it was earlier in term. Independents, especially those with college degrees, have become less approving over time.

Most Americans also think Mr. Trump is trying to expand the powers of the presidency — a view driven heavily by Democrats and those who disapprove of his job performance. And those who think he is are more likely to feel democracy and rule of law in the U.S. is threatened.

Most Americans do support limits to Mr. Trump’s powers as president, though. A majority think he should get his policies enacted by working with Congress to pass legislation rather than through executive orders, and majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents alike feel Mr. Trump should follow a Supreme Court ruling if it goes against his administration. Republicans also say their party in Congress should push back on Mr. Trump if they disagree with him.

And on the other side of the aisle, many Democrats describe their feelings about how their party is handling the Trump administration as making them feel frustrated and nervous.

This CBS News/YouGov survey was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 2,356  U.S. adults interviewed between April 23-25, 2025. The sample was weighted to be representative of adults nationwide according to gender, age, race, and education, based on the U.S. Census American Community Survey and Current Population Survey, as well as 2024 presidential vote. The margin of error is ±2.4 points.