Donald Trump‘s approval ratings have just hit a record low. Now Republicans are increasingly fearful that they could lose both the House and the Senate in the upcoming November midterms.
As per a report from The Hill, A Reuters/Ipsos poll saw Trump’s approval rating hit just 33%, down from 37% a month ago. The same poll saw his disapproval rating hit 65%, up 24 points from where it was at the beginning of his second term. These figures are echoed by a separate Economist/YouGov survey, which also puts him on 33%.
For reference, Trump’s lowest first-term approval rating was 34%, as per a Gallup poll conducted around the time of the Jan 6 riots. That said, he’d still have some way to go to reach the lowest approval ratings of all presidents, with Harry S. Truman achieving a record-low 22% approval rating in 1952 and, more recently, George W. Bush’s 25% approval rating during the 2008 financial crisis.
Trump blames “fake poll” plot against him by “Radical Left Democrats”
Regardless, these aren’t the kind of polls a political party wants to see when it’s heading into decisive midterm elections. The Hill quotes elections analyst Geoffrey Skelley as saying that dwindling approval is mostly related to the economy, with the Iran War following behind: “It’s because of the domestic impact and how it connects to people’s economic frustrations, and the fact that’s playing into that is, I think, the big concern on that front.”
Similarly pessimistic sentiments are being expressed by senior Republicans. Majority leader John Thune said in August that “people are concerned about the economy and costs and everything else, which they should be since those are pocketbook issues. That’s what most elections are really about”. Republican strategist Alex Patton said Democrat control of the House and Senate is possible: “In private, when the microphones are off, most read the tea leaves and whisper, ‘It’s going to be a bad night.'”
Trump himself has simply dismissed the polls as “fake”. In a Truth Social post earlier this week, he claimed the figures are part of a plot by “Radical Left Democrats” and that “the actual Polls are tremendous.” He concluded: “We’re winning against EVERYONE, including Iran, whose Country is in Economic and Military Death Spiral.”
Trump did not offer any information as to what “the actual Polls” say and did not give any evidence on how this is part of a Democrat plot. The midterms will take place on Nov. 3 2026, with most projections seeing the Democrats win control of the House, with the Senate still considered to be a coin flip.
Published: Aug 28, 2026 06:25 am