(NEWSMAX) President Donald Trump has an overall approval rating of 50%, with an equal percentage disapproving of the job he is doing, according to a CBS News survey released on Sunday.

His approval has dropped a percentage point from last month and is a few points lower than when he returned to the White House two months ago.

However, his approval rating remains above what he received at any point during his first term, according to the latest poll.

This strong showing comes despite a week in which one of the major stories was the fallout from Trump administration officials discussing U.S. military plans on the Signal messaging app, and which 76% of those surveyed said it was not appropriate to use the app to discuss military plans.

On other policies most Americans view as negative, Trump’s approval for handling inflation specifically remains in the red, with 56% disapproving of how he is handing the issue. Meanwhile, his rating on handling the economy in general has edged into negative territory, with 52% disapproving, after it was positive last month.

However, these negative outlooks on Trump’s presidency were balanced out by Americans’ view on how Trump is handling the immigration issue, with 53% approving and 58% backing his policy of deporting those who are in the United States illegally.

Trump’s efforts to reduce the federal workforce was evenly split in the country, with 50% agreeing and disagreeing with the policy.

One reason for those who opposed those efforts is that most think the reductions will impact programs and services they care about, including 62% of those surveyed who are independent voters.

Brian Freeman
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.