President Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen to 33 percent nationwide ahead of the midterm elections, according to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll published in October 2026, as voter anxiety over the cost of living and foreign policy strains Republican congressional majorities.
Approval Ratings Reach Historic Lows as Voters Demand Change
With Election Day approaching on November 3, 2026, national polling reveals deep public discontent with the current administration. According to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll conducted between October 9 and October 13 among 2,545 U.S. adults, President Donald Trump’s overall approval rating stands at 33 percent, while 66 percent of Americans disapprove of his handling of the presidency. Fifty-two percent of respondents said they disapprove strongly, marking a low point not seen during his first term in office.
Additional surveys underscore the bleak political landscape for the governing party. An NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey surveyed 19,135 adults online from September 28 to October 12, finding that 71 percent of U.S. adults believe the country is on the wrong track, the highest share recorded in Trump’s second term according to NBC News. Concurrently, an AP-NORC survey reported by The Hindu showed that about half of voters want substantial change in Washington, and roughly 3 in 10 want complete and total upheaval, while 45 percent of Republican voters want substantial change in how the country is run and 13 percent favor complete upheaval.
Voter sentiment reflects deep divisions across different demographics and political affiliations. Among self-identified registered voters surveyed by NBC News, respondents broke 55 to 45 percent for Democrats over Republicans, though neither party secured an overall positive outlook as 43 percent found the Democratic Party favorable and 37 percent found the Republican Party favorable. Public attitudes toward the president also vary significantly by group: men under 30 give him an approval rating of 28 percent, Latinos register an approval rating of 31 percent, and independents express approval at 21 percent. In South Carolina, Trump’s approval rating shifted from a majority of respondents approving to a 52 percent disapproval rating and a 41 percent approval rating, alongside an 8 percent share of respondents who neither approve nor disapprove of his work in office.
Economic Pressures and Foreign Policy Discontent Fuel Voter Frustration
Economic anxieties dominate the electorate’s concerns. Trump’s economic approval rating has dropped to 28 percent as reported by Yahoo, down from 49 percent at this point in the 2018 midterm cycle. Roughly three-quarters of Americans disapprove of his handling of inflation and the cost of living, citing soaring prices for household staples and fuel. In separate findings from AP-NORC, about 8 in 10 registered voters disapprove of how Mr. Even among Republican voters, only 44 percent approve of Mr. Trump’s performance on the cost of living, while 54 percent approve of his leadership on the economy.
Voters express particular distress regarding daily expenses and the affordability of essentials. Nearly 70 percent of people in the NBC News poll said gas prices are a problem, with 34 percent calling them a very serious problem. Families face difficulties with gasoline, staples, and splurges, and half or more Americans call every household purchase measured unaffordable. Among financially stressed Americans, 78 percent favor Democrats for Congress, alongside 71 percent of independents. When asked about broader national direction, 58 percent of adults said Trump’s policies are hurting the country, 28 percent said they are helping the country, and 14 percent said they aren’t making a difference.
External events have compounded these domestic pressures. Discontent over the war in Iran, which has stretched on for months despite initial administration projections of a brief conflict, has disrupted trade routes and elevated energy costs. The Independent noted that the resulting closure of major oil and liquefied natural gas corridors has fed directly into consumer price hikes. In Gallup data, Americans trusted Republicans over Democrats to keep the country prosperous by 14 points in 2023, whereas Democrats currently lead by 14 points, marking a 28-point swing in three years and Democrats’ biggest lead on prosperity since 2007.
Congressional Control and Midterm Electoral Dynamics
These converging pressures have shifted the political balance in prospective congressional matchups. The Independent reported that 59 percent of respondents want the next Congress controlled by Democrats to act as a check on the president, compared with 35 percent who favor Republican control to support his agenda. Furthermore, public trust in handling the economy has shifted; for the first time in more than a decade, the public trusts Democrats more than Republicans to deal with the economy, with 38 percent favoring Democrats on the cost of living compared to just 24 percent favoring the GOP.
Republican National Committee National Press Secretary Natalie Baldassarre defended the party’s focus, telling Newsweek in an emailed statement, Republicans remain laser-focused on winning and protecting and expanding President Trump’s majorities is the only goal we have this cycle
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Despite the national headwinds, campaign activity remains intense across battleground regions. In New Mexico, congressional and Senate candidates have clashed over the economic squeeze as detailed by KOB 4, while national party committees pour millions into competitive districts. Early voting data compiled by New Castle News shows that voters across 39 states have already cast ballots ahead of November 3.