Presidents rise or fall based on what voters think of them, at least when it comes to political clout and influence. How is President Donald Trump doing? So far, so good, but there is still room for improvement, the latest I&I/TIPP Poll suggests.
While Trump is in only the fifth month of his second term, Americans feel much more favorable about him right now than they did about former President Joe Biden in his final month in office, the June I&I/TIPP Poll shows.
In the latest poll, taken from May 28-30, I&I/TIPP once again asked voters: “Overall, is your opinion of Donald Trump generally favorable, generally unfavorable, or are you not familiar enough to say one way or the other?” (The poll of 1,395 adults has a margin of error of +/-2.7 percentage points).
The answer: He splits the electorate pretty much down the middle when it comes to favorability, with 45% awarding him “favorable” marks for his term so far, and an equivalent 45% calling his service so far “unfavorable.” So, on net, Trump is even. Among the rest, 7% said they were “not familiar enough to say,” while another 3% said they were “not sure.”
But that favorability number needs some recent presidential perspective. For instance, in January’s I&I/TIPP Poll, Biden received just 38% favorable and 51% unfavorable, for a net negative of -13%. At the time, we described it as “Biden’s Disaster.“
Trump’s favorability reading edged up in the latest month by a point, while his unfavorability number dipped a point, a two-point swing.
So, to voters, Trump appears to be a material improvement over Biden, despite one of the most aggressive, controversial and eventful starts to any presidency in modern times.
But of course there are always political differences: While Republicans (80% favorable, 14% unfavorable) are ecstatic with Trump’s performance so far, not so much Democrats (19% favorable, 74% unfavorable) and independents (32% favorable, 51% unfavorable). To the latter two groups, Trump’s bold start has been like a bucket of cold water in the face.
A closely related measure, presidential approval and disapproval, shows a similar pattern. I&I/TIPP asked voters, “In general, do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president, or are you not familiar enough to say one way or the other?”
Overall, 43% responded that they approve of how Trump is doing his job, while 45% disapprove. But there once again was deep political division, with Democrats (17% approval, 76% disapproval) and independents and third parties (30% approve, 51% disapprove) offsetting the enthusiastic Republicans (77% approve, 13% disapprove).
Those weren’t the only differences. Men (52% approve, 39% disapprove) and women (34% approve, 51% disapprove) mostly stood on opposite sides of the fence. The same is true for race: White voters (50% approve, 40% disapprove) are more enthused than Hispanic and black voters (29% approve, 56% disapprove).
So while, in general, Trump has done better with minority voters, there is room to do better. And the same is true with women.
What about Trump’s leadership so far? How do Americans view that?
Among all voters, 44% say Trump’s leadership has either been “very strong” (28%) or just “strong” (16%). Another 15% describe his leadership as “moderate.” Meanwhile, 37% call his leadership either “very weak” (28%) or “weak” (9%).
Responses to the leadership question were a bit more nuanced. For instance, while whites (50% strong leadership, 34% weak leadership) and Hispanics (39% strong, 36% weak) mostly see Trump’s leadership as strong, blacks don’t see the leadership the others do: just 26% strong, 38% weak.
And it’s another question where women and men strongly differ. Men (51% strong, 30% weak) are far more likely to see Trump’s leadership as strong than women (37% strong, 44% weak).
The TIPP Presidential Leadership Index measures public sentiment over time by combining three components: favorability, job approval, and presidential leadership. The index ranges from 0 to 100, with readings above 50 indicating optimism and below 50 signaling pessimism. In June, the overall index stood at 50.2, with Republicans most optimistic at 83.8, Democrats least at 21.8, and Independents in between at 39.1.
As for Trump’s performance, based on the share of Americans giving him either “excellent” or “good” grades on 15 separate areas, ranging from the economy and the Israel-Hamas conflict to violence and crime and restoring America’s core values, Trump remains solid.
Overall, Trump receives a 41% grade, thanks mainly to continued strong support among Republicans, 74% of whom give Trump the highest marks, followed by independents and third party members at 34% and by Democrats at 15%.
On individual issues, the proportion giving good grades range from a high of 46% for his “Handling the immigration, border security situation,” to a low of 34% for “Handling of health care” and “Handling of North Korea.” All the rest lay somewhere in between.
The point is, voter assessment of Trump’s performance so far appears steady or even improving, despite a relentless barrage of negative media coverage, which — as the recent book “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again” shows — was entirely missing from the Biden presidency.
It seems, at least as a matter of fairness to Trump, that his ratings among left-leaning and centrist voters might be higher if not for the relentlessly bad coverage he receives.
That Trump’s media coverage has been negative seems beyond dispute. The Media Research Center, for instance, found that during Trump’s first 100 days in office his coverage was 92% negative.
Biden’s coverage, by comparison, was 59% positive.
Perhaps it’s a matter of reality catching up to the media spin. Case in point: Last week more good economic news emerged on a number of fronts.
For one, even as economists warned of tariff-related price hikes across the country, the Federal Reserve reported that it’s favored inflation measure had fallen to a four-year low of 2.1% year-over-year in April, edging closer to the Fed’s preferred 2% inflation level.
Meanwhile, personal income jumped by 0.8%, its most since May of 2021. after rising 0.5% the month before. Inflation down, incomes up: That’s a very good outcome for Trump, after the media printed dozens of stories predicting a “likely” recession this year.
Is a recession really likely now? The Atlanta Fed’s “GDPNow” measure, which calculates GDP based on current indicators, now anticipates 3.8% GDP growth in the second quarter. That compares to the estimate of just over 1% by 50 leading economists.
There are dangers out there, to be sure, that could damage Trump’s presidential ratings. Iran getting a nuclear weapon, for instance; the Russia-Ukraine war continuing; China attacking its neighbors, in particular Taiwan; failure of the GOP majority to pass Trump’s “big, beautiful” budget, causing a stock and bond market meltdown; the list goes on and on.
While I&I/TIPP is not in the prediction business, it is a fact that Trump has so far gotten little good press, and a lot of bad press. As the I&I/TIPP Poll data suggest, any realization by average Americans that what they read or view in the media doesn’t necessarily reflect reality can only help Trump’s presidential ratings to improve.
I&I/TIPP publishes timely, unique, and informative data each month on topics of public interest. TIPP’s reputation for polling excellence comes from being the most accurate pollster for the past six presidential elections.
Terry Jones is an editor of Issues & Insights. His four decades of journalism experience include serving as national issues editor, economics editor, and editorial page editor for Investor’s Business Daily.
TIPP Picks
Selected articles from tippinsights.com and more
1. Trump’s Message To Putin: You Blew It—Victor Davis Hanson, The Daily Signal
2. How The ‘Pravda-Like’ Press Distorts The News—Victor Davis Hanson, The Daily Signal
3. Trump Voters – Who Are They? What Do They Want?—Steve Cortes, RealClearPolitics
4. Washington’s Tentacles—Editorial Board, TIPP Insights
5. Thick As A Brick – Judicial Activism Thwarts Trump’s Mandate At Every Step—Editorial Board, TIPP Insights
6. China Must Not Fear Fiscal Expansion—Yu Yongding, Project Syndicate
7. The End Of German Complacency—Daniela Schwarzer, Project Syndicate
8. Ditch COVID Spending Spree: Congress Can Save $1.16 Trillion By Returning To 2019 Budget Trajectory—Deroy Murdock, The Daily Signal
9. Biden’s Autopen Tells All!—Al Perrotta, The Daily Signal
10. How Tim Walz Is Trying To Escape Political Irrelevancy—George Caldwell, The Daily Signal
11. Boston Marathoner Kicked Off Team For Speaking Out About Transgender Issue—Evelyn Elliott, The Daily Signal
12. 5 Years After The Floyd Riots, The Left’s Thirst For Political Violence Has Not Quenched—Carrie Sheffield, The Daily Signal
13. Matthew Graves’ Abysmal Legacy As US Attorney For DC—Cully Stimson, The Daily Signal
14. Transgender Policies Pose Such A Horrific Threat To Women, Even The United Nations Is Calling Them Out—Tyler O'Neil, The Daily Signal
15. Boulder Suspect Who Used ‘Makeshift Flamethrower’ Against Pro-Israel Marchers Shouted ‘Free Palestine!’—Tyler O'Neil, The Daily Signal
16. Poland Elects National Conservative As New President—Jacob Adams, The Daily Signal
17. Supreme Court To Take On Illinois Late Ballot Case With Far-Reaching Election Integrity Implications—Catrina Barker, The Daily Signal
18. W.Va. Lawmaker Aims To Ban Chinese Nationals From Student Visas—Jacob Adams, The Daily Signal
19. Slow To Condemn Colorado Attack, Reps. Omar And Tlaib Are Branded ‘Muslim Terrorists’ By Fellow Lawmaker—Virginia Allen, The Daily Signal
20. What Does Trump Want In The ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’?—George Caldwell, The Daily Signal
21. Why The Western Hemisphere Should Cooperate—Wilson Beaver & Isela Becerra, The Daily Signal
22. Education Department To Launch Title IX Investigations To Mark Law’s Anniversary—Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell, The Daily Signal
23. Iowa Lawmaker Set To Offer Bill To Establish Antisemitism Study Commission—Jacob Adams, The Daily Signal
24. Chinese National Charged With Illegal Voting Flees US—Fred Lucas, The Daily Signal
25. Laura Loomer Meets With VP Vance, White House Confrims—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights
26. No Pride Month Declaration From Trump: White House—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights
27. SpaceX Launched 400 Starlink Satellites In May Alone—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights
28. Musk Slams Big Beautiful Bill As ‘Disgusting Abomination,’ Trump Unmoved By Rant—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights
29. White House Confirms Trade Letter, Says July 8 Is The Deadline To Confirm Deals—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights
30. Trans Athlete’s Wins Prompt Trump Fury, DOJ Investigation—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights
31. U.S. Pressures Vietnam To Cut China Ties In Tariff Talks—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights
32. Lutnick: Expect U.S.-India Trade Pact Soon—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights
33. Trump DOJ Probes Biden Pardons Amid Autopen, Competency Questions—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights
34. Rand Paul Doesn’t Get The Big Growth Bill: Trump—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights
35. UK To Build Up To 12 New Attack Submarines—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights
36. Lee Jae-Myung Elected As South Korean President, Exit Polls Say—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights
37. Polish Eurosceptic Nawrocki Wins Presidential Election—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights
38. Ukrainian Drones Strike Bombers During Major Attack In Russia—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights
39. Trump Warns Rand Paul: Vote No, Face Kentucky’s Wrath—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights
40. Second Round Of Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks Yields No Ceasefire Progress—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights
41. Trump: Boulder Attacker Exploited Biden’s Border, Will Face Trump-Era Justice—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights
42. Egg Prices Plunge 61% Under Trump—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights
43. Trump-Backed Karol Nawrocki Wins Polish Presidency—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights
44. Netanyahu Calls Out Rising Antisemitism After Boulder Attack—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights
45. EU Pushes U.S. To Cut Steel And Aluminum Tariffs—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights
46. Trump To Speak With Xi Jinping ‘Very Soon’—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights
47. ICE Cracks Down On Visa Overstays After Boulder Attack—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights
48. Suspect in Boulder Attack Was In U.S. Illegally, White House Confirms—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights
TIPP Market Brief – June 4, 2025
Your Morning Snapshot
📊 Market Snapshot
- S&P 500: ▲ 5,970.37 (0.58% )
- 10-Year Yield: ▼ 4.460%, (0.2 basis points)
- Crude Oil (WTI): ▲ $63.34 (1.31%)
- Bitcoin (BTC): ▼ $105,310.33
- US Dollar Index (USD): ▼ 99.18 (0.06%)
- Gold: ▼ $3,356.42 (0.75%)
Bigger Charts: $SPX | $TNX | $WTIC | $BTCUSD | $USD | $GOLD
📈 Featured Stock
Our pick for today’s featured stock
📰 News & Headlines
Wall Street Bulls Look Optimistic About Zscaler (ZS): Should You Buy?—Zacks
Zscaler Will Hit $360 Soon: Here's the How and Why—Thomas Hughes, MarketBeat
⭐Recent Featured Stocks
NRG Energy (NRG) (6/3)
Life360, Inc. (LIF) (6/2)
GE Aerospace (GE) (5/30)
Robinhood Markets, Inc. (HOOD) (5/29)
Carvana Company (CVNA) (5/28)
Hims & Hers Health, Inc. (HIMS) (5/27)
Roblox Corp (RBLX) (5/23)
Rubrik, Inc. (RBRK) (5/22)
Oddity Tech Ltd. (ODD) (5/21)
Sezzle Inc (SEZL) (5/20)
More here
🧠 Macro Insight
- → Futures hold steady as markets await a possible Trump-Xi call to revive stalled U.S.-China trade talks.
- Trump hikes metal tariffs to 50%, raising costs for manufacturers and fueling trade uncertainty.
- Nvidia (NVDA) climbs 2.8%, leading chip stocks higher on AI optimism and trade truce hopes.
- Broadcom (AVGO) hits record high, starts deliveries of new Ethernet switch.
- Wall Street extends gains, with the Dow up four straight sessions and tech fueling momentum.
📅 Key Events Today
Wednesday, June 4
● 08:15 AM ET – ADP Nonfarm Employment Change (May)
The private-sector hiring report that often sets the tone before NFP.
● 09:45 AM ET – S&P Global Services PMI (May)
Early read on the performance of the U.S. services sector.
● 10:00 AM ET – ISM Non-Manufacturing PMI (May)
Another broad gauge of services activity and business outlook.
● 10:30 AM ET – Crude Oil Inventories
Weekly update on U.S. oil stockpiles and energy demand trends.
