WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Americans鈥� trust in President Donald Trump to bolster the U.S. economy appears to be faltering, with a new poll showing that many people fear the country is being and that the president鈥檚 broad and haphazardly enforced tariffs will cause prices to rise.
Roughly half of U.S. adults say that Trump鈥檚 trade policies will increase prices 鈥渁 lot鈥� and another 3 in 10 think prices could go up 鈥渟omewhat,鈥� according to the poll by .
About half of Americans are 鈥渆xtremely鈥� or 鈥渧ery鈥� concerned about the possibility of the U.S. economy going into a recession in the next few months.
While skepticism about tariffs is increasing modestly, that doesn鈥檛 mean the public is automatically rejecting Trump or his approach to trade. However, the wariness could cause problems for a president who .
Trump shows vulnerability on the economy
Three months into his second term, Trump鈥檚 handling of the economy and tariffs is showing up as a potential weakness. About 4 in 10 Americans approve of the way the Republican president is handling the economy and trade negotiations. That鈥檚 roughly in line with .
Matthew Wood, 41, said he鈥檚 waiting to see how the tariffs play out, but he鈥檚 feeling anxious.
鈥淚鈥檓 not a huge fan of it, especially considering China and going back and forth with adjustments on both ends,鈥� said Wood, who lives in West Liberty, Kentucky, and is unemployed. 鈥淧ersonally, it hasn鈥檛 affected me as of yet. But, generally, I don鈥檛 know how this is going to come to an end, especially with the big countries involved.鈥�
Still, Wood said he changed his registration from Republican to independent, having been turned off by Trump鈥檚 attitude and deference to billionaire adviser Elon Musk. Wood voted for Trump last year and said he鈥檚 willing to give the president until the end of the year to deliver positive results on tariffs.
About half of U.S. adults, 52%, are against imposing tariffs on all goods brought into the U.S. from other countries. That鈥檚 , when a poll found that 46% were against tariffs. Driving that small shift largely appears to be adults under age 30 who didn鈥檛 previously have an opinion on tariffs.
Trump supporter Janice Manis, 63, said her only criticism of Trump on tariffs is that he put in for trade negotiations with other countries.
鈥淎ctually, I think he shouldn鈥檛 have suspended it,鈥� said Manis, a retired sheriff鈥檚 deputy from Del Rio, Texas. 鈥淏ecause now China is trying to manipulate all of these other countries to go against us, whereas if he would have left all the tariffs in play then these countries would be hit hard. But, oh, well, things happen.鈥�
Skepticism remains about Trump鈥檚 tariff approach
Not quite 100 days into Trump鈥檚 second term in the White House, people around the country are bracing for possible disruptions in how they spend, work and live. The U.S. economy remains solid for the moment with moderating inflation and , yet measures such as consumer confidence have dropped sharply.
Trump has used executive actions to remold the global economy. He鈥檚 imposed hundreds of billions of dollars a year in new import taxes 鈥� albeit partially suspending some of them 鈥� launching a full-scale trade war against China and pledging to wrap up deals with dozen of other countries that are temporarily facing tariffs of 10%. Financial markets are swinging with every twist and turn from Trump鈥檚 tariff pronouncements.
Many Americans are not convinced this is the right approach. About 6 in 10 say Trump has 鈥済one too far鈥� when it comes to imposing new tariffs, according to the poll.
Stocks are down this year, while interest charges on U.S. government bonds have climbed in ways that could make it more costly to repay mortgages, auto loans and student debt. CEOs are scrapping their earnings guidance for investors and seeking exemptions from Trump鈥檚 tariffs, which hit allies such as Canada and even penguin-inhabited islands.
Trump seemed to recognize the drag from tariffs as he highlighted this week the possibility of a deal with China. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had also said in a closed-door speech that
Widespread concern about rising grocery prices
About 6 in 10 U.S. adults are 鈥渆xtremely鈥� or 鈥渧ery鈥� concerned about the cost of groceries in the next few months, while about half are highly concerned about the cost of big purchases, such as a car, cellphone or appliance. Less than half are highly concerned about their ability to purchase the goods they want 鈥� a sign of the economy鈥檚 resilience so far.
Retirement savings are a source of anxiety 鈥� about 4 in 10 Americans say their retirement savings are a 鈥渕ajor source鈥� of stress in their lives. But fewer 鈥� only about 2 in 10 鈥� identify the stock market as a major source of anxiety.
鈥淭his whole tariff war is just a losing situation not only for the American people but everybody worldwide,鈥� said Nicole Jones, 32. 鈥淚t鈥檚 revenge 鈥� and everybody鈥檚 losing on it.鈥�
The Englewood, Florida, resident voted last year for then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who replaced the incumbent president, Joe Biden, as the Democratic nominee. Jones hadn鈥檛 given much thought to tariffs until recently, and now, as an occupational therapy student, she also worries about losing her financial aid and facing high amounts of educational debt.
鈥淭hings are more expensive for us,鈥� she said.
And most Americans still think the national economy is in a weak state.
The difference is that Republicans 鈥� who largely thought the economy was in bad shape when Biden was president 鈥� now feel more optimistic. But Democrats have become much more bleak about the country鈥檚 financial future.
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 all sunshine and rainbows, but we were doing fine,鈥� Jones, a Democratic voter, said about the economy before Trump鈥檚 policies went into effect.
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The AP-NORC poll of 1,260 adults was conducted April 17-21, using a sample drawn from NORC鈥檚 probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.
Josh Boak And Amelia Thomson-deveaux, The Associated Press
