Trump's approval drops to new record low as Iran war shakes US economy - poll

A presidential approval rating is the percentage of surveyed people who say they approve of the president’s performance. It offers a snapshot of public confidence at a particular moment. It matters because approval can show whether voters support the president’s actions and may influence political debates and elections.

In this poll, 33% of US adults approved of Donald Trump’s performance. That means roughly one-third of respondents expressed approval, while 66% disapproved. The survey also found that 52% strongly disapproved. These figures describe the poll’s respondents, not an exact count of every American.

The 33% rating was especially significant because it was eight points lower than a year earlier. It also fell below every point recorded during Trump’s first term. With midterm elections two weeks away, the result suggested unusually weak public support and a difficult political environment for Trump’s party.

The poll reports percentages, not the actual number of people surveyed. Therefore, it shows that 33% of respondents approved of Trump’s performance and 66% disapproved, but the article does not reveal how many adults took part. The two figures describe the balance of opinion in the survey.

The change over time was substantial. Trump’s approval rating had dropped eight percentage points compared with a year earlier. The survey also found that 52% strongly disapproved of his performance. Together, these results point to broad and intense dissatisfaction, rather than a small shift among a narrow group of respondents.

The timing made the figures politically important. The US midterm elections were two weeks away, and voters were assessing the president amid economic fallout linked to the Iran war. Democrats held an eight-point lead among registered and likely voters in the House contest, according to the poll’s analysis.

US midterm elections choose members of Congress during a president’s four-year term, rather than choosing the president. They matter because voters can change which party controls the House of Representatives. The House helps shape legislation, oversight, and the political agenda for the rest of the president’s term.

A president’s standing can affect these elections because voters may use congressional races to reward or punish the president’s party. In this poll, Democrats held an eight-point lead among registered and likely voters as both major parties competed for House control. The result reflected an upward trend for Democrats in earlier surveys.

The election’s timing increased the importance of Trump’s approval rating. Voting was only two weeks away, while his overall approval stood at 33% and economic approval at 28%. Voters were also focused on gasoline prices, affordability, and the Iran war, issues that could shape their party choices.

Voters connected the Iran war with higher everyday costs, especially fuel. Affordability and economic concerns were central issues in the poll. Trump’s economic approval rating fell to 28%, while 48% of respondents said they were worse off financially than when he returned to office in 2025.

Gasoline was the clearest example. Since the war began, gasoline prices had jumped by up to 50% in some states, according to NBC News. Seventy-one percent of respondents called gasoline unaffordable. Higher fuel costs can affect household budgets directly and can also raise the cost of transporting goods and services.

These pressures weakened confidence in Trump’s economic management. The Washington Post reported that the share saying they were worse off was the highest for any president in its polling with ABC since 1986. Sixty-five percent also said the Iran war was a mistake, linking the conflict to both economic and political dissatisfaction.

Oil prices are influenced by expected future supply, not only by production inside the United States. A war involving Iran can make traders fear that oil production, exports, or shipping routes could be disrupted. That risk can push crude prices higher even when the fighting is overseas.

The mechanism reaches drivers through the fuel market. Refiners buy crude oil and turn it into gasoline, while transport and distribution add further costs. When crude becomes more expensive or supply looks less secure, gasoline prices can rise. The article reports that prices jumped by up to 50% in some states after the war with Iran began.

The poll shows how that mechanism became an everyday political issue. Seventy-one percent of respondents called gasoline unaffordable, and 48% said they were financially worse off than in 2025. The article links these pressures to falling approval of Trump’s economic performance and broad opposition to the war.

A “record low” approval rating means the measured result was lower than previous results in the relevant polling record. Here, the Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll reported Trump’s approval at 33%. The phrase signals an unusually weak result, but it applies to the comparison described by the article, not automatically to every poll ever conducted.

The article gives two direct comparisons. Trump’s rating was eight percentage points lower than a year earlier. It also fell below any approval point recorded during his first term as president. In the same survey, 66% disapproved, including 52% who strongly disapproved.

The article does not provide a complete comparison with approval ratings for every other president or every other poll. It does give a separate historical comparison: 48% saying they were financially worse off was the highest share for any president in Washington Post-ABC polling since 1986. That figure concerns personal finances, not approval.

Public-opinion polls usually select a sample of people intended to represent a larger population. Researchers ask standardized questions, collect the answers, and calculate percentages. A poll can estimate wider opinion without asking every voter, but its accuracy depends on how well the sample reflects the population it describes.

For example, this survey reported approval among US adults and also discussed registered and likely voters in the House contest. Those groups are not identical. Adults include people who may not vote, while likely-voter results try to reflect people expected to participate. The article does not provide the sample size, sampling method, response rate, or margin of error.

Results can differ from the entire voting population because some people are missed or decline to respond. Turnout may also differ from expectations. Question wording, the survey date, and events such as rising gasoline prices or the Iran war can shift answers. Polls therefore describe measured opinion at one time, not a permanent verdict.