United States President Donald Trump's policy moves have shocked some world leaders and financial markets — and polling suggests they have impacted his approval at home.
There are fears of an escalating trade war, with the Trump administration having imposed tariffs on adversaries and allies — including Australia — and threatened more. They have rattled financial markets and raised concerns the US could be headed for a recession, with Trump having conceded there is likely to be what he called short-term economic pain from his tariffs policy.
Also during the first 50 days of his second term, Trump has been criticised for a widely-condemned proposal to "take over" Gaza, and for his administration's handing of peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, with some accusing him of being friendlier towards Russia which launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine just over three years ago.
Domestically, Trump has launched an immigration crackdown, and sought to dramatically cut federal government departments and agencies in concert with billionaire Elon Musk, who leads the controversial so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
So far, the DOGE effort has produced potential cuts of more than 100,000 jobs across the 2.3 million-member federal civilian workforce, the freezing of foreign aid, and the cancellation of thousands of programs and contracts.
Rulings in federal courts in California and Maryland on Thursday ordered some agencies to reinstate thousands of probationary employees who had been dismissed in recent weeks.
Pollsters say some Americans believe Trump is being too "erratic" in his moves to shake up the US economy, and that his "honeymoon phase" appears "to be coming to an end".
John Hart, a US politics expert and a member of the emeritus faculty at the Australian National University, told SBS News he wasn't surprised Trump's approval ratings were down.
"The principal impact of Trump's presidential initiatives so far has been to adversely affect the people who voted for him," he said.
Hart believes some of his actions have been unpopular with voters, including his "obsession" with tariffs and "sympathetic attitude" towards Russia in the context of war with Ukraine.
"My guess is that subsequent polls are likely to show that a majority of Americans didn't like what they saw coming out of the Oval Office," he said.
What do recent polls show?
Emerson College Polling surveyed 1,000 registered voters over 8-10 March and found Trump had a 47 per cent job approval rating and a 45 per cent disapproval rating — the latter up two points on the week prior.
Some 39 per cent of respondents thought the US president was performing better than expected; 36 per cent thought he was doing worse than expected, and 25 per cent said he was performing as expected.
This survey asked voters to rank Trump's handling of several key areas, where he scored best in immigration policy with a 48 per cent approval rating, and worst on the economy, where 48 per cent disapproved of his management.
According to Emerson College Polling, respondents expressed scepticism about the US' relationships with its neighbours, with 44 per cent disapproving of Trump's management of ties with Mexico, and 47 per cent disagreeing with his handling of relations with Canada. Both countries are locked in Trump's tariff war, and Trump has suggested Canada should become America's 51st state.
"As President Trump reaches his first 50 days in office, his approval rating has declined from 49 per cent to 41 per cent, to 47 per cent to 45 per cent, reflecting a nation deeply divided," said Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling
"While little has shifted since the election, the initial 'honeymoon phase' seems to be coming to an end."
But Hart questioned whether Trump ever experienced a "honeymoon phase" to begin with.
"Given the abnormal degree of political polarisation in the US today, I'm not sure Trump had a honeymoon at all," he said.
The survey asked voters to rate Donald Trump's handling of key areas, with his highest approval at 48 per cent for immigration policy and his lowest at 48 per cent disapproval for the economy. Source: SBS News
Overall, 44 per cent of respondents said they approved of the job Trump was doing as president, unchanged from a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted over 3-4 March. He got particularly weak marks on the issue of the cost of living, where just 32 per cent of respondents approved of his performance.
And most of them — 70 per cent including nine in 10 Democrats and six in 10 Republicans — said they expected higher tariffs will make groceries and other regular purchases more expensive.
And a CNN poll conducted by market research firm SSRS of about 1,200 voters, released on Wednesday, showed 56 per cent disapproved of Trump's handling of the economy — a mark worse than at any point during his first term in office, according to the poll.
Some 45 per cent approved of his overall performance and 54 per cent disapproved, mirroring his March 2017 numbers and his highest ratings from his first term.
Do the polls matter?
If Trump's approval ratings worsen, Hart said any fallout would be some time off.
"The first opportunity that Americans will get to register their opposition to Trump in a meaningful way will be the mid-term Congressional elections in November 2026," Hart said.
"That's still 20 months away and too far away to threaten Trump right now."
While voters who wish to express their discontent would have to wait, Trump could shift his attention away from economic uncertainty, focusing more on an area of strength like immigration, Hart said.
"What might happen as a consequence of a worsening economy is that Trump will switch the focus to something else, perhaps back to immigration controls.
"He's more likely to try to deflect attention from the economy than change his basic approach, which could prove to be the big difference between his first term as president and his second."
Pollsters found that immigration was a top issue when at the November presidential election, when Trump went up against Democrat Kamala Harris.
With reporting by the Reuters news agency.
