Trump is steadily losing backing from men and political independents, according to a run of recent national polls. As of Friday, The New York Times’ polling average put his approval rating at 42% and disapproval at 55%, reflecting several weeks of downward movement.
Surveys show growing frustration with his handling of the economy. Across multiple polls, net approval of his economic performance has dropped, and only 26% of respondents in a Reuters/Ipsos survey said he is doing a good job managing the cost of living.
Warning signs are also emerging inside his own coalition. A Marquette University poll found just 75% of Republicans approved of his handling of the economy in November, down from 82% in July. Among white, college-educated men, his approval rating has slipped from 47% in June to 40%, according to Fox News polling.
An Economist/YouGov survey of 1,628 U.S. adults conducted November 28–December 1 found Trump with 38% approval and 57% disapproval—a net approval of -19. It marked the seventh straight week his net approval has been -15 or worse (margin of error 3.2 points).
During his first term, YouGov notes, Trump’s net approval rating never stayed at or below -15 for more than three consecutive weeks. At this point in their presidencies, Economist/YouGov polling shows Joe Biden with a -9 net approval rating and Trump at -15 during his first term.
In the latest NPR/PBS/Marist poll of 1,443 U.S. adults conducted November 10–13 (margin of error 3 points), Trump’s approval dipped two points from September to 39%, while his disapproval rose from 53% to 56%. That poll also suggested a favorable environment for Democrats ahead of next year’s midterms: 55% of respondents said they would be more likely to support the Democratic candidate in their district, compared with 41% who said they’d vote for the Republican.
A Reuters/Ipsos survey released Tuesday, based on 1,017 voters polled November 14–17 (margin of error 3 points), put Trump’s approval at 38%, down two points from the prior week and a low point for his second term in that weekly series. Only 20% of respondents approved of how he has handled the Jeffrey Epstein files, while 70% believe the government is hiding Epstein’s alleged client list and 61% think it is withholding information about his death.
In the previous Reuters/Ipsos poll of 938 registered voters conducted November 7–12 (margin of error 6 points), Trump’s approval held at 40%, but his disapproval ticked up to 58%. That survey, taken after Republicans lost key races in New Jersey, Virginia and New York City on November 4, also found 44% of Democrats were “very enthusiastic” about voting in the midterms, compared with 26% of Republicans.
Morning Consult’s weekly poll of 2,201 registered voters, conducted November 7–9 (margin of error 2 points), showed Trump’s approval at 44%, with 54% disapproving—his lowest approval level in that tracker during his second term.
A separate Harvard CAPS/Harris poll of 2,000 registered voters taken November 4–6 (margin of error 1.99 points) likewise found his approval at 44%, another second-term low in that series. In that survey, Trump’s approval on all nine key issues measured slid below 50%, though he still received his strongest ratings on crime and immigration. The same poll found 75% of respondents opposed the government shutdown, and 53% blamed Republicans more than Democrats.
A CNN poll conducted by SSRS reported Trump’s approval at 37%, the lowest figure recorded by the network in his second term (though slightly above the 36% registered about ten months into his first term). His disapproval, at 63%, was one point higher than when he left office in 2021 (62%).
On the generic congressional ballot, that CNN survey showed Democrats with a 5-point lead among registered voters heading into next year’s midterms—still an advantage, but smaller than the 11-point edge they held at the same point in 2017 before the 2018 midterms.
In a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll conducted in October, Trump fared somewhat better, with 41% approving and 59% disapproving of his job performance. Still, 63% of respondents said he was “out of touch” with Americans, and an even larger share—68%—said the same about the Democratic Party.
Economist/YouGov polling from October 24–27 among 1,623 U.S. adults (margin of error 3.5 points) registered Trump’s approval at 39% and disapproval at 58%, another second-term low in that series. His net approval in that survey was lower than in all but one Economist/YouGov poll from his first term.
Despite those numbers, Trump told reporters on Tuesday that he has the “highest [poll] numbers I ever had,” repeating a claim he also made on Truth Social, even as polling averages and most individual surveys show a clear decline since he returned to office in January.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll of 1,018 U.S. adults taken October 24–26 (margin of error 3 points) found 40% approval and 57% disapproval. A majority, 52%, said the government shutdown had no impact on their daily lives.
Morning Consult’s weekly survey of 2,200 registered voters conducted October 24–26 (margin of error 2 points) showed Trump’s numbers holding steady from the prior week, with 46% approving and 51% disapproving.
In an Economist/YouGov survey of 1,621 U.S. adults conducted October 17–20 (margin of error 3.4 points), Trump’s approval slipped slightly to 39%, with 56% disapproving. In that poll, 39% of respondents blamed Republicans for the shutdown, 31% blamed Democrats, 24% blamed both equally and 7% were unsure.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll from October 15–20 showed Trump’s approval rising two points to 42% compared to a survey conducted October 3–7, while his disapproval fell from 58% to 56%. When asked about responsibility for the shutdown, 50% of respondents pointed to Republicans, 43% blamed Democrats in Congress, and 7% did not answer.
Morning Consult’s October 17–19 poll of 2,200 registered voters (margin of error 2 points) recorded Trump’s approval at 51%, with 46% disapproval—his best showing since late August.
Big Number
41%. That’s Trump’s average approval rating so far during his second term, according to Gallup—essentially matching his 41% average across his entire first term.
How Trump Stacks Up Against Previous Presidents
Gallup’s historical comparisons show Trump’s combined first- and second-term average approval rating (41%) trailing every president since Harry Truman. Biden’s average stands at 42%, followed by Truman at 45% and Jimmy Carter at 46%.
Context and Key Developments
Trump’s sagging poll numbers come as he enters a lame-duck phase and absorbs several notable breaks with parts of his MAGA base.
The House recently passed legislation requiring the Justice Department to release records tied to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Trump ultimately backed the measure—despite early resistance—once it became apparent that enough Republicans supported it for passage.
Republican setbacks in high-profile races in New Jersey, Virginia and New York City in November have also been widely interpreted as a voter rebuke of Trump’s aggressive second-term agenda.
His second term has included several major turning points:
- The federal government reopened on November 12 after a 43-day shutdown, the longest on record, triggered by a standoff over a Republican spending plan that excluded an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies and did not reverse Medicaid cuts.
- Trump brokered a cease-fire agreement in the Israel-Hamas war announced in September, which required Hamas to release remaining hostages held in Gaza. The deal is widely viewed as his most significant foreign-policy achievement of the term.
- In June, Congress approved a sweeping policy package enacting some of his top campaign promises, including an extension of his 2017 tax cuts and stepped-up border enforcement measures.
Trump’s approval has trended downward since the term began, with one of the sharpest drops following his announcement of broad “Liberation Day” tariffs on April 2 targeting nearly all major U.S. trading partners. He has since rolled back many of those tariffs, but the episode contributed to heightened economic anxiety.
His bid to markedly shrink the federal workforce—pursued with the help of the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency at the time—as well as his large-scale deportation drive, have both sparked a wave of legal challenges and renewed debates over how far executive power can go.Thinking
