Trump approval falls to record low 31%
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
A Reuters/Ipsos poll found 31% of Americans approve of President Donald Trump, the lowest of either term.
Democrats lead the generic ballot by 12 points with congressional elections on Nov 3.
Background
Donald Trump is the President of the United States. The Reuters/Ipsos survey, conducted online with 1,679 US adults including 1,279 registered voters, put his approval at 31%, a point below a poll two weeks earlier. The material attributes the slide to his February order of military strikes on Iran alongside US ally Israel, which triggered a surge in gasoline prices; gas is now above $4 a gallon. The poll lands as early voting has begun in several states ahead of the Nov 3 congressional elections.
How it unfolded
- Oct 18, 2026A Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll put Trump's approval at a record low for that pollster of 33%, and an NBC News/SurveyMonkey poll put it at a second-term low of 34%.
- Oct 19, 2026A Reuters/Ipsos four-day poll found 31% approve of Trump's performance, the lowest in either of his presidential terms, with Democrats ahead 47% to 35% on the generic ballot.
- Oct 19, 2026Trump attended a rally in Park City, Kansas, for Republican US Senate reelection candidate Roger Marshall.
- Oct 20, 2026USA TODAY reported the Reuters/Ipsos result as a career low, noting early voting had begun in several states.
- Oct 21, 2026A New York Times/Siena University poll found 36% of likely voters approved and 59% disapproved, his lowest in any Times/Siena poll, with likely voters preferring Democratic congressional candidates by 11 points.
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- Reuters/Ipsos reported 31% approval as the lowest of either term, while the New York Times/Siena poll called 36% his lowest in that survey.
- Public
- In the Reuters/Ipsos poll, 68% disapprove of Trump's handling of the economy, including 37% of self-identified Republicans, and voters picked Democrats as better stewards of the economy 40% to 33%.
- Caution
- The Times/Siena poll found nearly three-quarters of voters disapprove of Trump's handling of gas prices, with gas above $4 a gallon.