Will Trump trade deal with UK ease economic jitters and boost president’s poll numbers?

President Donald Trump is touting that Thursday’s announcement of a trade deal with the United Kingdom – which is the first since the president a month ago announced massive tariffs on nations across the globe – will be “the first of many.”

Pushing back against descriptions that the agreement hammered out between the two historic allies was just an initial deal with much more to be negotiated, Trump argued “this is a very big deal…this is a maxed-out deal that we’re going to make bigger.”

The financial sector appeared to embrace the deal, with the stock markets rising on news of the agreement. However, for a president aiming to pass a sweeping agenda through Congress, it is the political reaction that may be of upmost importance.

Trump’s approval ratings have been sliding since he returned to power in the White House three and a half months ago and are now underwater in most national polling.

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President Donald Trump speaks with reporters after announcing a trade deal with the United Kingdom in the Oval Office of the White House on Thursday, May 8, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Fueling the drop in Trump’s poll numbers are increased concerns by Americans over the economy and inflation, which were pressing issues that kept former President Joe Biden‘s approval ratings well below water for most of his presidency.  

Front and center is Trump’s blockbuster tariff announcement a month ago, which sparked a trade war with some of the nation’s top trading partners and triggered a massive sell-off in the financial markets and increased concerns about a recession.

Most, but not all, of the most recent national public opinion surveys indicate Trump’s approval ratings in negative territory, which is a slide from the president’s poll position when he started his second tour of duty in the White House. An average of the latest national surveys puts the president’s approval rating underwater by around six points.

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Trump stood at 44% approval and 55% disapproval in the most recent Fox News national poll, which was conducted April 18-21.

Additionally, the president’s approval registered at 38% on the economy and just 33% on inflation and tariffs.

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However, veteran Republican strategist and communicator Ryan Williams, when asked about the political impact of Thursday’s trade deal, described it as a “positive first step.”

Williams also noted that Trump’s approval ratings are “tied directly to the performance of the economy.”

POLL POSITION: WHERE TRUMP STANDS 15 WEEKS INTO HIS SECOND PRESIDENCY

In discussing his tariffs soon after he announced them on what he called “Liberation Day,” the president touted that “these countries are calling us up, kissing my a–.”

“They are dying to make a deal. ‘Please, please, sir, make a deal. I’ll do anything. I’ll do anything, sir!’” Trump highlighted.

President Donald Trump, right, gestures and is joined by Vice President JD Vance, center, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, as he speaks with reporters after announcing a trade deal with the United Kingdom in the Oval Office of the White House on Thursday, May 8, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

A month later, Trump finally got a chance to showcase a trade agreement.

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“President Trump has argued that his agenda requires time for an adjustment and deal making. He’ll be given a period of time to execute deals to prove that his plans are working and the first major trade deal with a nation like the UK is at least a sign that some of the work has been going on behind the scenes thus and is starting to bear fruit,” Williams said.

He added that the president will “have to back it up with more, but it is a positive first step for him in securing other deals.”