Trump Approval Ratings Hit Second-Term Low: Amid rising fuel prices at home and a worsening situation in the Persian Gulf, U.S. President Donald Trump is watching his approval ratings slide only months before the country heads to the polls for the November midterm elections. Trump’s approval rating has fallen to its lowest point in his second term, according to a series of major national polls released over the past week, with respondents expressing concerns about the conflict with Iran, the economy, and a multitude of other political issues.
The latest surveys suggest that Trump’s support has steadily eroded since the United States resumed military operations against Iran earlier in the year, with concerns mostly centered around inflation and fuel prices.
President Donald J. Trump visits with President Lee Jae-myung of the Republic of Korea, Monday, August 25, 2025, in the Oval Office. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)
President Donald Trump boards Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House en route to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on Thursday, September 11, 2025, for a trip to New York. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)
Silver Bulletin Records Lowest Net Approval Rating
Silver Bulletin, run by polling analyst Nate Silver, showed Trump averaging 38.2% approval and 58.8% disapproval on July 30. Those figures gave the president a net approval rating of -20.6 percentage points – the weakest of his second presidential term and a notable decline from around -16.4 earlier this month. The polling average combines surveys from numerous organizations, weighting pollsters based on historical accuracy.
The latest figures are part of a downward trend that began with the president’s so-called “Liberation Day,” the day he imposed major tariffs on foreign countries. That trend only worsened following the president’s announcement of strikes against Iran in February.
Although approval ratings differ between pollsters because of varying methodologies and sampling, virtually every major national survey released over the past two weeks now shows Trump underwater with voters, which is bad news as the Republicans head into the November midterms in the hopes of maintaining control of the House and Senate.
The decline also places Trump roughly in line with where former President Joe Biden stood during the same stage of his presidency.
Multiple Polls Show Broad Dissatisfaction
Other surveys released this week paint a similarly negative picture for the president.
An AP-NORC survey conducted between July 23 and July 27 showed that only 33% of American adults approve of Trump’s performance so far. Quinnipiac University recorded an even lower 32% approval rating – the worst result Trump has received in Quinnipiac polling during either of his terms as president.
The Quinnipiac survey also found majorities disapproved of Trump’s handling of virtually every major issue, including Iran (66% disapproval), foreign policy (62% disapproval), and the economy (62% disapproval). The president even suffered a 57% disapproval rating on his signature policy, immigration.
Meanwhile, a CNN poll found 65% of respondents believed Trump’s policies were hurting the economy, while 67% said the continuing conflict with Iran was harming the United States. The survey also found growing concern that the administration was focusing on issues that many voters considered less important than inflation and the cost of living.
Despite the numbers, though, Republican voters are still substantially more supportive than the rest of the electorate, with Quinnipiac finding that 76% of Republicans continue to support the president and his overall job performance.
Iran War Grows More Unpopular
For Republicans, the Iran war was defensible if it was short and successful – but so far it has been neither. And the polls are beginning to show the war growing increasingly unpopular.
According to AP-NORC, approval of Trump’s handling of the Iran conflict has fallen six percentage points since June, including a ten-point decline among Republican voters.
Quinnipiac also found that 60% of voters opposed the war, with just 34% supporting the president.
A CBS News/YouGov poll also showed declining support for military action in Iran, with approval for U.S. operations slipping from 44% in March to 39% in late July.
The worsening public mood comes as the president’s most intense strikes against Iran fail to bring Tehran back to the negotiating table.
Economic Concerns Weigh On Voters
While foreign policy is playing a major role in general discontent about Trump’s performance, the polling also suggests that economic concerns – which are tied to the conflict in Iran – are the primary driver of Trump’s declining approval ratings.
A CNBC survey released earlier this month gave Trump his worst approval rating on the economy yet, at just 38%, with 60% disapproving. That same survey also found that 61% of respondents had a pessimistic view of America’s economic outlook – the highest figure since late 2023.
The findings are troublesome for the president, who is not only attempting to solve the Iran issue quickly but hopes to rectify existing economic problems ahead of the midterms in November. Several recent national surveys have shown Democrats holding an advantage on the generic congressional ballot, meaning Trump is up against it to ensure that he is not left without Republican support in both chambers of Congress during the final two years of his presidency.
About the Author: Jack Buckby
Jack Buckby is a British researcher and analyst specializing in defense and national security, based in New York. His work focuses on military capability, procurement, and strategic competition, producing and editing analysis for policy and defense audiences. He brings extensive editorial experience, with a career output spanning over 1,000 articles at 19FortyFive and National Security Journal, and has previously authored books and papers on extremism and deradicalization.
