Trump's Approval Plummets Amid Iran War and Soaring Oil Prices

Economic Approval Drops by 7 Percentage Points Compared to February

UPI Yonhap News

A recent survey has found that the percentage of Americans who disapprove of U.S. President Donald Trump's job performance has reached the highest level during his tenure. The surge in oil prices caused by the aftermath of the Iran war is directly challenging the leadership of the Trump Administration, putting the Republican Party on high alert ahead of the November midterm elections.

According to a poll conducted by The Washington Post, ABC News, and polling firm Ipsos from April 24 to 28 among 2,560 U.S. adults (margin of error ±2.0 percentage points) and released on the 3rd (local time), President Trump's approval rating stood at 37%, down from 39% in February. Notably, the disapproval rate for Trump's job performance reached 62%, the highest across both his first and second terms.

While support among Republican Party members—often called his "concrete base"—remained strong at 85%, the exodus of moderates was pronounced. Among Republicans-leaning independents, approval dropped to a record low of 56%, and among all independents, it was only 25%. Analysts point out that voters with centrist and pragmatic tendencies are experiencing fatigue with Trump-style leadership.

Support for President Trump on economic issues—which played a crucial role in his 2024 election victory—plummeted by 7 percentage points to 34% compared to the previous survey, following a spike in oil prices since the outbreak of the Iran war in late February. Approval for his handling of inflation also fell by 5 percentage points during the same period, landing at 27%. The lowest approval among all policy areas was for the cost-of-living issue: 76% disapproved, while only 23% approved.

This public discontent is also reflected in election indicators. When asked, "If the House election were held today, which party would you vote for?" 49% of registered voters chose the Democratic Party, leading the Republican Party (44%) by 5 percentage points—a wider gap than the 2 percentage points seen in the February survey. Voter determination also favors the opposition, as 79% of Democratic supporters said they would "definitely vote," compared to 72% of Republican supporters.

The Washington Post analyzed, "President Trump's low approval ratings, with six months remaining until the November midterm elections, are putting the Republican Party's slim House majority in serious jeopardy," adding, "Now, even the Senate majority is under threat."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.