After Trump’s first month, new CNN poll asked people to describe their feelings: ‘Afraid’ won

There really aren’t any surprises in a new CNN poll released on Thursday: Donald Trump’s approval ratings are where they always have been — at the bottom of any U.S. president at this time in their administration.

A month into his second term — amid Elon Musk’s hand-grenade approach to cutting federal spending — Trump finds his approval rating at 48%, with 52% opposed to his chaotic presidency, which has included questionable cabinet picks, taking a machete to the federal government with Elon Musk and DOGE, abandoning allies, lying about the Russian invasion of Ukraine ... all while doing nothing to bring down the cost of living.

In fact, economists predict that Trump’s fixation with tariffs will make inflation worse.

And all that puts him at the bottom, where he usually is. Here are other presidents at similar times in their new terms as president, according to CNN:

Obama, Feb. ’09: 76%

Kennedy, Feb. ’61: 72%

Carter, Feb. ’77: 71%

Eisenhower, Feb. ’53: 67%

G.H.W. Bush, Feb./Mar. ’89: 63%

Nixon, Feb. ’69: 60%

G.W. Bush, Feb. ’01: 57%

Reagan, Feb. ’81: 55%

Clinton, Feb. ’93: 51%

Biden, Mar. ’21: 51%

Trump, now: 47%

Trump, Jan./Feb. ’17: 44%

In its poll, CNN asked people to respond to four words that might describe how they feel about Trump’s term. Many, it seems, recoiled:

Enthusiastic: 20%

Optimistic: 26%

Pessimistic: 18%

Afraid: 35%

According to CNN: More describe themselves as pessimistic or afraid when looking ahead to the rest of Trump’s second term (54%) than say they feel enthusiastic or optimistic about it (46%). In December, 52% were on the positive side, 48% negative. Notably, the share saying they feel “afraid” has climbed 6 points to 35%, rising by a roughly equal share across partisan lines.

Here’s how CNN described the poll results:

There are signs ... that the warmer welcome Trump has received this time around could be fleeting, as optimism about his return to office has slipped since December. A broad majority feel the president isn’t doing enough to address the high prices of everyday goods. And 52% say he’s gone too far in using his presidential power, with similar majorities wary of his push to shutter federal agencies and elevate Elon Musk to a prominent role in his efforts to reshape the government.

Americans divide on Trump’s performance in office thus far, with 47% approving and 52% disapproving, below the start-of-term ratings for any recent presidency other than his own. For most of the public, Trump’s actions are lining up with their expectations: Three-quarters say his handling of the presidency has been in line with what they expected while 25% say he’s handled it in an unexpected way, similar to how people felt a few weeks into his first term.

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