Poll: Majority approval of Trump’s handling of the economy for first time

A majority of U.S. adults said they approve of President Trump’s handling of the economy in a CNBC All-America Economic Survey released Monday.

Fifty-one percent of adults said they approved of Trump’s performance on the economic front, the first time the poll has shown approval from more than half of respondents since the president took office. Thirty-six percent of poll participants said they disapproved of Trump on the economy.

Approval of Trump’s handling of the economy has increased since March, when the CNBC survey found 45 percent support.

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Fifty-four percent of respondents in the most recent poll said the economy is excellent or good, which CNBC said is the highest level it’s found in the survey’s 10-year history.

Forty-eight percent of adults said the economy has improved over the past year, while 13 percent said it’s gotten worse and 35 percent said it’s stayed the same. Of those who said they think the economy has gotten better, 55 percent gave Trump the most credit, while 12 percent give former President Obama the most credit and 5 percent credited congressional Republicans.

But more respondents still disapproved than approved of Trump’s overall job performance — 41 percent to 47 percent, respectively. Disapproval is at its lowest level since Trump became president, according to CNBC.

The survey comes less than five months before the November midterm elections, which will determine which party controls the House and the Senate. Thirty-four percent of respondents said the country would be better off with Republicans controlling Congress, while 32 percent went with Democrats control. The rest picked neither or said they weren’t sure.

Majorities of respondents said they agreed with Trump’s plans and proposals for cutting individual and business taxes, negotiating with North Korea over its nuclear weapons program and renegotiating existing trade deals. Poll participants were more likely to disagree than agree with Trump regarding his plans to more strongly enforce immigration laws, repeal and replace ObamaCare and reduce regulations on banks and financial institutions.

While survey respondents said they agreed with Trump’s tax-cut proposals, few reported seeing an increase in their paychecks as a result of the tax-cut law the president signed in December. Thirty-four percent of adults said they have more take-home pay — a similar level to the 32 percent who reported seeing bigger paychecks in March.

CNBC surveyed 800 adults from June 16-19. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.