Trump Approval Hits New Low as Democrats Lead Midterms
President Donald Trump's approval rating has fallen to 36 percent as Democrats hold an 11-point lead in national polling ahead of the midterm elections.
A New York Times and Siena College national poll shows Donald Trump with a 36 percent approval rating among likely voters, the lowest for any president before a midterm since 1946. The decline is driven by public disapproval of the administration's handling of the economy, high gas prices, and the war in Iran. Republican support has eroded across several demographics, including men, young voters, and Hispanic voters, following administration actions regarding health care, DOGE, and ICE.
Democrats currently hold an 11-percentage-point lead over Republicans for House candidates, the largest national vote lead for any party since 2008. A majority of likely voters now view the Democratic Party as the party of the working class and trust them more to address the cost of living. Despite this momentum, Democrats still face challenges flipping Republican-leaning Senate seats in states such as Texas, Iowa, Alaska, and Ohio.
Simultaneously, an AP-NORC poll indicates a shift in election confidence. Democratic confidence in the accuracy of U.S. election results dropped from 75 percent in 2022 to 55 percent in 2026, while Republican confidence rose from 26 percent to 38 percent. This shift follows efforts by the president to expand federal authority over elections. Tensions remain high as the United States Department of Justice planned to deploy 1,000 monitors to voting locations, and the Supreme Court of the United States blocked a presidential executive order intended to restrict mail voting.
