Trump's Approval Rating Hits Second-Term Low... 'Red Alert' for Republicans Ahead of Midterms

Dissatisfaction with prices drags down approval rating
71% of respondents: "Gas prices are difficult to afford"

U.S. President Donald Trump's approval rating has fallen to its lowest level of his second term. Growing dissatisfaction with prices and the economy is also expected to weigh on Republicans ahead of the November midterm elections.

According to a poll commissioned by The Washington Post (WP) and ABC News and released on October 18 (local time), Trump's approval rating stood at 33%. That was down 4 percentage points from a poll in July and the lowest level of his second term.

Some 66% said they disapproved of his job performance, including 52% who said they strongly disapproved.

A poll released that day by NBC News also found Trump's approval rating at a record low of 34%. Some 66% disapproved of his job performance, and 51% said they strongly disapproved.

Asked in the WP-ABC poll whether they preferred a Congress led by Democrats or one led by Republicans, 58% chose the Democrats and 39% the Republicans. The 19-percentage-point gap between the two parties was about twice as large as in a poll conducted a year earlier.

Among Democratic supporters, 75% said they would definitely vote. Among Republican supporters, 75% of MAGA-aligned voters said they planned to vote, while the figure was just 57% among Republicans who were not MAGA-aligned.

Discontent with economic policies... Iran war-driven prices also sway voters

Dissatisfaction with the economy and prices was cited as a major reason for Trump's declining approval rating. Some 70% disapproved of his economic policies, while 77% disapproved of his approach to the cost of living. Approval of his economic policies stood at 28%, down from 41% in February this year and 33% in July. At the same point in 2018, when the midterm elections were held during Trump's first term, approval of his economic policies was 49%.

Some 48% of respondents said their financial situation had worsened since Trump returned to office. That was the highest share in a WP-ABC poll of U.S. presidents conducted since 1986. Among respondents who said they were facing financial difficulties, 78% preferred Democrats in congressional elections. Among independents, 71% also chose Democrats.

A worker stocks shelves at a supermarket in New York. New York, U.S. = Correspondent Hwang Yunju.

The burden of living costs was evident across several categories, including gasoline and groceries. In February, before the Iran war began, 71% said gasoline prices were affordable. In the latest poll, 71% said gasoline prices were difficult to afford. More than half also said groceries, medical costs, and household energy bills were difficult to afford. Fewer than four in 10 said they could afford dining out.

Some 65% said the Iran war was a mistake by Trump. In addition, 68% disapproved of his approach to dealing with allies. Negative views of his immigration policies and his handling of deportations of undocumented immigrants were also shared by a majority.

Some 66% said Trump was using the presidency to amass wealth. About 80% also said it was inappropriate for him to try to add his name to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Asked which party would handle economic issues better, 40% chose the Democrats, compared with 33% who chose the Republicans. This was the first time since 2014 that the Democrats had led the Republicans in trust on economic issues in a WP-ABC poll.

The WP-ABC poll was conducted from October 9 to 13 among 2,545 U.S. adults. The results were adjusted to match the party affiliations of Americans as measured by the Pew Research Center, with a margin of error of ±2 percentage points. The NBC News poll, conducted by SurveyMonkey, surveyed 19,135 adults from September 29 to October 12. It had a margin of error of ±2.6 percentage points.

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