'Honeymoon period' is 'over' for Trump’s presidency — and a boost 'doesn’t seem likely'

04 March

Early in his presidency, Joe Biden enjoyed strong approval ratings. But his popularity, according to polls, plummeted when inflation escalated. And many pundits argued that the "honeymoon period" of Biden's presidency was over, although economist Paul Krugman — a staunch Biden supporter — often noted that the U.S. enjoyed historically low unemployment under Biden.

In early March 2021, Biden's poll numbers had yet to take a nosedive. But Trump's approval ratings appear to be falling more rapidly. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on February 25 found that only 39 percent of voters approved of Trump's handling of the economy.

Vox's Christian Paz, in an article published on March 4, argues that Trump's "honeymoon" is already "over."

"Six weeks ago," Paz explains, "President Donald Trump could credibly say that he and his agenda were popular. His boasts of popular support were backed by data: Half of the country approved of the job he was doing for most of his first month on the job, according to polling averages. And though the share of Americans who disapproved gradually increased, he still maintained a net positive rating. That's over now."

Paz continues, "As Trump prepares to address a joint session of Congress Tuesday evening, roughly even shares of the country approve and disapprove of his presidency. The share of Americans who view him positively continues to drop. And it doesn't seem likely that he’ll see a boost anytime soon."

The Vox journalist notes that U.S. presidents "generally enjoy a honeymoon period during the first few weeks of their new administrations" — but the "honeymoon" has "been short for Trump."

"For comparison," Paz observes, "at this point during Joe Biden’s presidency, Biden was near the peak of his popularity. How this unraveling happened is no great mystery: Views of the economy, and Trump's handling of it, have taken a negative turn, and Americans largely think that the president isn't giving enough attention to the issues that they care about. Paired with controversial policy positions, the perceived influence of Elon Musk, and a pretty small mandate to begin with, the public's turn against Trump is right on time."

Christian Paz's full article for Vox is available at this link.

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