A new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll finds 57% of Americans disapprove of President Trump's handling of the economy, while 36% approve, according to NPR reporting published June 18, 2026.

The June figure is better than where Trump stood in May, when 61% of respondents told the Marist Poll they disapproved of his economic stewardship. That May number itself had risen from 58% disapproval recorded in March 2026. So spring brought bad news that got worse, then slightly better in June — but the overall trend remained downward.

Looking at the full picture across Trump's second term shows the broader challenge. In April 2025, Marist recorded 39% approval on the economy. That number stayed roughly stable through February 2026. The June poll's 36% economic approval is now lower than those early numbers, meaning over about 14 months the needle has moved against Trump on the economy despite the recent partial uptick.

The Marist Institute for Public Opinion, which runs the Marist Poll with NPR and PBS News, has asked the same questions about Trump's economic approval regularly since his second inauguration. Polling from one consistent source using the same method is more reliable for spotting real trends than comparing results across different polling firms that ask questions differently.

For Republican strategists and members of Congress, a 57-36 disapproval split is a real problem heading into midterm elections. Voters' approval or disapproval of how a president handles the economy has historically been one of the strongest predictors of which party gains or loses House and Senate seats in a midterm. A 21-point gap between disapproval and approval gives Democratic candidates a strong argument to make against Republican opponents in competitive races. The four-point improvement from May does give Republicans something to say — that things are moving in the right direction — but 57% disapproval is still a difficult place to start building a national midterm campaign.

The June numbers arrived as voters remain focused on gas prices and the cost of living, factors the NPR reporting connected directly to the polling. Whether the four-point drop in disapproval between May and June reflects an actual improvement in how households are doing economically, or just normal up-and-down movement in polls, will become clearer if the next surveys show the same trend holding.