Disapproval of Trump hits highest level of second term amid Iran war

The president's weakening poll numbers come as the war in Iran has driven up gas prices, and more Americans are expressing concerns about the economy

By Ruth Igielnik

 

Disapproval of President Trump has climbed to the highest level of his second term, according to The New York Times polling average, which found that 58 per cent of Americans disapprove of the president’s job performance while only 39 per cent approve. 

That is the highest disapproval rating Trump has faced since the end of his first term, in the aftermath of his re-election campaign loss and the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol. 

Trump’s weakening poll numbers come as the war in Iran has sharply driven up gas prices, and as a growing number of Americans are expressing concerns about the economy. Many Democrats are trying to make the midterm elections a referendum on Trump’s presidency, and some of Trump’s former allies in the conservative media, including Tucker Carlson, have turned against him in recent days. 

 

A Marquette University Law School poll taken last week found Trump’s approval rating has dipped to 28 per cent among political independents, down from 39 per cent when he took office. Among Republicans, the president has also lost some ground, though the vast majority of the party — 80 per cent — still approve of his job performance. 

Taken together, the Times polling average shows that Trump now has a net approval rating — approval minus disapproval — of negative 19 per cent, as of Thursday. 

Approval ratings can move around from day to day as new polls update our understanding of how the American public is feeling about the president, but Trump has experienced several weeks of weakening poll numbers. 

Concern about the economy is reaching a fever pitch. Seven in ten voters now say that the economy is getting worse for them and their families, up from 55 per cent just one year ago in a recent Fox News poll. Economic anxiety is also up sharply with the president’s base. Nearly half of Republicans now say the economy is getting worse, double the share who said the same last April. 

This comes as Trump’s approval on the economy stands at 34 per cent and his approval on handling inflation at just 28 per cent. Voters are far more likely to approve of how he has been handling immigration and the border. Nearly half of all voters — 46 per cent — approve of Trump’s immigration policy.