Trump Approval Hits Second-Term Lows Amid Iran War and Inflation

President Donald Trump saw his job approval ratings collapse to historic lows in April 2026, with various polls placing his support between 30% and 37%. The decline is primarily attributed to the economic fallout from "Operation Epic Fury," a military campaign against Iran launched alongside Israel on February 28. The conflict caused oil prices to surge and national gasoline prices to exceed $4 per gallon, leading to a historic collapse in Trump's economic approval, which fell to a net negative 32 points.

Public dissatisfaction expanded beyond economics. Trump faced backlash over the killing of two U.S. citizens by federal agents in Minneapolis and his public feud with Pope Leo XIV, whom Trump labeled "weak on crime" after the pontiff criticized the war. The president further alienated supporters by threatening to destroy Iranian civilian infrastructure and suggesting the annexation of Greenland. By late April, former allies including Marjorie Taylor Greene and Tucker Carlson began questioning his mental fitness.

Despite the downturn, Trump dismissed the war as a "little journey" and claimed that MAGA supporters—whom he estimated make up 95% of the Republican Party—remain loyal. While he announced a ceasefire extension with Iran in late April, internal White House concerns grew that the economic instability and eroding support among independents and Gen Z would cost Republicans their congressional majorities in the 2026 midterm elections. The period concluded with an attempted assassination of the president at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on April 25.