President Donald Trump’s second-term approval rating has dipped to a new low, a poll from The Economist and YouGov shows on Tuesday.
Newsweek reached out to political analysts via email for comment.
Why It Matters
The overall drop in approval, driven in part by declines among independents, Hispanics and weak marks on key issues like the economy and immigration, could constrain the administration politically and shape the dynamics of the 2026 midterm elections.
Pollsters and analysts say the trend underscores persistent polarization and voter unease outside the president’s core Republican base.
Polls of job approval are routinely used by political strategists to assess the public’s appetite for change and can affect fundraising, candidate recruitment and messaging heading into midterm contests.
What To Know
In the poll released on Tuesday, Trump’s approval rating shows 39 percent, with a disapproval rating of 57 percent.
The poll was taken from September 12 to September 15 among 1,567 U.S. adult citizens, with a 3.6 percent margin of error.
“The 39% of Americans who approve of Trump is the lowest share to do so in any weekly Economist / YouGov Poll in Trump’s second term,” YouGov’s Public Relations Lead Allen Houston told Newsweek via email in part.
“The 57% who disapprove is the most to do so in Trump’s second term,” Houston added.
The poll finds Trump’s approval rating is also underwater on key issues including jobs and the economy, inflation and prices, immigration, civil rights, crime and guns.
The president’s approval rating with the pollster last week was 41 percent with a 54 percent disapproval rating.
Notably, this is the pollster’s first survey gauging the public on Trump’s job approval since the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
What People Are Saying
Robert Reich, former President Bill Clinton’s labor secretary, on X this month: “Trump’s approval ratings are tanking. He’s blowing up the economy. He hasn’t done squat to help the working class. The Epstein scandal haunts him. He is a weak and failing president with his back against the wall. Keep up the pressure.”
Trump on Truth Social Tuesday: “The Republicans are going to do a Midterm Convention in order to show the great things we have done since the Presidential Election of 2024. Time and place to be determined. Stay tuned, it will be quite the Event, and very exciting! President DJT”
Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont on X in April: “Today’s ABC poll has Trump’s approval rating lower than any past president at his first 100 days in office. The American people do not want oligarchy, authoritarianism or attacks on Social Security, Medicaid or the VA. And the resistance is just beginning.”
What Happens Next
Political strategists and pollsters say sustained sub-majority approval ratings can harm the sitting president’s party in midterm elections by motivating opposition turnout and complicating messaging for swing-district Republican candidates.
Historical patterns often show the president’s party losing ground in midterms under similar conditions.
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