As the first week of May comes to a close, PresidentDonald Trumpis still slogging through low approval ratings. Aseries of pollsreleased last week, coinciding with President Donald Trump'sfirst100 daysin office on April 29, solidified that a growing percentage of Americans were not too pleased with his job performance. His approval numbers reached historic lows not seen by any other president in recent decades, except for Trump himself in 2017. In the past week, there've beenseveralagency shake-ups, a tenseOval Office meetingwith Canada's new leader, social media posts aboutnew holidaysand remarks over possibletax hikes, and ongoingback-and-forthswith several nations and industries over Trump's aggressiveimport tariffs. Over that course of time, the president's approval rating has largely remainedunchanged, give or take a few points, based on averages of multiple polls. According to recent polling data published byRealClearPolitics, Trump's approval rating is 45.2% as of the first week of May. This aggregate does not include a poll released on May 9 by the Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, which reflects a disapproval rating of 51.1% for the second-term president. Just a week earlier, the aggregate listed a 45% approval number on May 2. Anaggregationfrom The New York Times, which includes the AP-NORC poll and leaves out a recent survey from right-leaning Rasmussen Reports, has a similar average: 44% of Americans are happy with Trump's job performance, while 51% disapprove. It's a two-point uptick in favorability from their average on May 2, which catalogued a 42% aggregate approval and a 52% disapproval. Here's how the latest few polls measured the president's approval among Americans. 41% approve 57% disapprove Conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research,the surveyalso focused on Americans' views on higher education and Trump's recent moves to defund some universities. The results show the public's perception of the president's actions toward higher education is in line with his overall approval rating, with more disapproving than approving. Sixty percent of adults disapprove of Trump's handling of issues related to colleges and universities, the poll results found, with Democrats and independents substantially more displeased with the policies. The survey of 1,175 U.S. adults was conducted May 1-5 and has a margin of error of ±4 percentage points. 42% approve 52% disapprove Pollsters also asked about the economy, with 40% of respondents saying the U.S. is currently in a recession, while 35% say it isn't and 25% say they aren't sure. Thesurveyof 1,850 U.S. adults was conducted May 2-5 and has a margin of error of ±3.5 percentage points. 46% approve 52% disapprove Respondents to the survey expressed disapproval of Trump's trade policies, with pollsters concluding voters are 7 points more likely to disapprove than approve of Trump's handling of trade.Morning Consultsays this marks a record low in trade policy approvals in surveys conducted since Trump took office in January. The survey of 2,263 registered voters was conducted May 2-4 and has a margin of error of ±2 percentage points. Kathryn Palmer is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her atkapalmer@usatoday.comand on X @KathrynPlmr. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Trump approval ratings remain low in first week of May
