With the midterm elections now just over two weeks away, the news continues to be bad for President Donald Trump and the Republican Party.
According to the Washington Post, citing its own Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll, Trump now has approval from just 33 percent of adults, with twice that number, 66 percent, disapproving, the worst numbers yet in Trump’s time as president.
President Donald J. Trump delivers remarks on the Iran Strategy in the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House, Friday, October 13, 2017. In Washington, D.C. (Official White House Photo by D. Myles Cullen)
A majority of voters, 52 percent, strongly disapprove of the president’s performance in office. Trump has 38 percent approval among likely voters, with 62 percent disapproving.
The Post said that 33 percent figure is “four percentage points lower than in July and eight points lower than at this point last year,” and is also lower than at any point during Trump’s first term.
As of Monday, the RealClearPolitics polling average shows Trump with an average approval rating of 38.9 percent and a disapproval rating of 59.4 percent, a spread of more than 20 points.
The Washington Post/ABC News-Ipsos survey is included in that average; it shows worse numbers for Trump and Republicans than the average.
But every poll in that average shows Trump down by double digits.
Democrats Are More Trusted
Another piece of bad news for the president’s party ahead of the election: the survey found that Democrats are trusted more than Republicans to handle the economy, which hadn’t been the case in a decade.
President Donald J. Trump delivers remarks on the Administration’s tariff plans at a “Make America Healthy Again” event, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in the White House Rose Gardent. (Official White House Photo by Abe McNatt)
The survey also found that 48 percent of Americans claim they are “financially worse off” than they were when Trump returned to office at the start of 2025.
And that’s not the only place where Democrats lead. According to the Post, Democrats now lead by eight points among voters planning to support the House of Representatives, up from a three-point lead in July. That lead holds among registered and likely voters.
The RealClearPolitics average shows Democrats with an 8.3-point lead on the “generic ballot” for the House, and the Post’s poll is included in that average.
Some polls in that average are even worse for Republicans, showing Democrats with a double-digit lead.
Every poll in the RCP average shows Democrats ahead in the House race.
When asked whether they would prefer “a Democratic-led Congress acting as a check on Trump or a Republican one to support his agenda,” 58 percent chose the Democratic option.
Also, 72 percent of those surveyed said they believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, up five points from when the same question was asked earlier this year.
According to the Post’s write-up, the survey shows that majorities of Americans have lost faith in the president, are skeptical of the Iran War, and remain concerned about inflation, which they blame the president for.
The newspaper noted that presidential approval, heading into the midterms, is often a key indicator of how those elections will go.
If that trend continues, it points to a less-than-stellar GOP performance next month.
The Price of Gas
If “the price of eggs” was a microcosm of the issues at play in the 2024 election that Trump won, “the price of gas” plays a similar role in the 2026 midterms.
The average price of gasoline remains over $4 per gallon, while diesel is over $6, and the latter, which is a record-high price, tends to make other things cost a lot more as well.
According to a February Post survey, 71 percent of voters said gasoline was affordable.
The same number, 71 percent, now say it’s unaffordable.
More voters also see goods like groceries, health care, and home energy as increasingly unaffordable.
The president is also facing headwinds on other issues.
While immigration has long been Trump’s strongest issue, 6 in 10 voters disapprove of his handling of it.
A majority of voters, 56 percent, say Trump “has gone too far in deporting undocumented immigrants.”
The Post said Trump is also “judged harshly on several measures of his commitment to fundamental principles of democracy,” and many voters also judge his commitment to democracy negatively.
And as a result, that dissatisfaction has “inevitably spilled onto a Republican Party that has been remade in his image.”
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has written thousands of articles on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
