Some tariff pain for Trump as approval ratings take a hit

US leader's sliding popularity has also emboldened dissent within his own party

- Bhagyashree Garekar

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump's broadside on the economic system that the US largely created after World War II is having repercussions at home.

And not in a good way.

Mr Trump's approval ratings are cracking in numerous opinion polls, and are especially negative on the question of his handling of the economy, a point of pride for the businessman-turned-president.

His sliding popularity has also emboldened dissent within his own party.

A budget Bill embodying his key governance priorities squeaked through in the House of Representatives with a narrow majority on April 10 - but only after Speaker Mike Johnson carried on tense late-night negotiations with a group of about 20 holdout Republicans, and Mr Trump warned them to "stop grandstanding".

Even so, two Republicans - Mr Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Ms Victoria Spartz of Indiana - joined Democrats in opposition.

At issue was support for trillions of dollars in tax cuts, a debt ceiling of US$4 trillion (S$5.3 trillion) and hundreds of billions of dollars in spending on defence, energy and immigration.

The Republican Party's fiscal hawks, including members of the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus, had to be persuaded by Mr Johnson to suspend their doubts over the level of spending cuts which they felt were not deep enough - envisaged in what Mr Trump has been touting as his "big, beautiful Bill".