Donald Trump Praised on Economy by Majority of Americans for First Time

A majority of Americans approve of President Donald Trump's handling of the economy for the first time since he took office, according to the results of a new national poll released Monday.

Fifty-one percent of those polled approved of Trump's work on the economy, compared with 36 percent who disapproved, the CNBC All-American Economic Survey showed. The disapproval number reportedly slipped by 6 points from when the survey was conducted in March, a strong gain for a president who not only campaigned on improving the economy but has repeatedly pointed to a record-low unemployment rate and the surging stock market as a reason to praise his administration.

The new acclaim followed a turbulent week for the administration and as Trump threatens long-time U.S. allies and economic partners with a trade war.

"The United States is insisting that all countries that have placed artificial Trade Barriers and Tariffs on goods going into their country, remove those Barriers & Tariffs or be met with more than Reciprocity by the U.S.A. Trade must be fair and no longer a one way street!" Trump tweeted Sunday.

Trump and his proponents have claimed that the administration has not received credit for its work on the economy and that the media have not focused enough attention on the president's signature achievement to date.

The survey also showed improvements in Trump's overall approval and disapproval ratings. Trump's approval rating ticked up to 41 percent after previously sitting at 39 percent. The disapproval figured dropped to 47 percent, a 10-point improvement for a president who has seen his disapproval rating hovering in the 50s for much of his time in office.

Those increases fell somewhat in line with Trump's average approval rating in recent polls. The president registered an average approval rating of 43.7 percent, with 51.1 percent disapproving, in polls throughout the middle of June, according to Real Clear Politics.

The poll also showed that 51 percent of Americans disapprove of Trump's immigration policies as the administration deals with a backlash after more than 2,300 children were taken from their immigrant parents since the "zero-tolerance" policy was put in place last month. Reports have indicated more than 500 of those children have now been reunited with their parents.

The CNBC poll was conducted from June 16 to 19 and drew its results from 800 Americans around the country. It had a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.