President Donald Trump’s approval rating fell below 30 percent for the first time in a brutal new poll that shows the depth of voter backlash to the administration’s handling of the economy.
The president has been slipping in the polls for months, with a Reuters/Ipsos poll earlier this month finding that just 33 percent of Americans approved of his job performance.
Other surveys found Trump losing key demographics, including Hispanic voters, and showed that voters preferred congressional candidates who would rein in the president on key issues, such as immigration and the economy.
Now, a new survey has found that Trump’s already dismal approval rating has plunged even further as costs remain high thanks in part to his war in Iran and devastating tariff policy.
Just 29 percent of Americans said they approved of the way Trump was handling his job as president, compared to 68 percent who disapproved, according to results released Monday by the American Research Group, Inc.
That’s down from 30 percent in June, July, and August.
Among registered voters, 30 percent said they approved, and 68 percent disapproved, according to the most recent survey.
The last time a president’s approval rating nosedived into the 20s was President George W. Bush at the end of 2008, Newsweek reported.
In the American Research Group poll, Democrats almost universally panned the president’s performance at 98 percent disapproval, while among Republicans, Trump’s approval rating was a tepid 65 percent. Independents gave the president a damning 26 percent approval rating.
The results were based on 1,100 interviews conducted from Wednesday to Saturday nationwide among a random sample, with a 3-point margin of error.
Trump did even worse when respondents were asked about his handling of the economy, with just 26 percent saying they approved and 71 percent disapproving.
Only 5 percent said the national economy was getting better, while 17 percent said it was staying the same and 72 percent said it was getting worse.
In a statement to the Daily Beast, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said the “ultimate poll” was November 5, 2024, when Americans “overwhelmingly elected” Trump.
“No other President in history has accomplished more for the American people than President Trump, who is working tirelessly to create jobs, cool inflation, increase housing affordability, and more,” he said. “The President has already made historic progress not only in America but around the world, and this is just the beginning as his agenda continues taking effect.”
The latest results, however, further call into question Trump’s strategy of turning November’s midterm elections into a referendum on his return to office.
The president has insisted on spending his MAGA, Inc. super PAC money on TV ads touting his own record—and vowed to personally campaign alongside Republican candidates in tough races.
Republicans were originally projected to keep firm control of the Senate in November, but with the president’s approval rating cratering, pollsters now say the fate of the upper chamber of Congress is a toss-up.
