President Donald Trump’s approval rating has taken a notable turn among white voters.
Polling from The Economist/YouGov indicates that support from white voters has risen by 8 percentage points following an earlier decline. This rebound now places Trump’s approval in positive territory within this key demographic.
Why It Matters
White voters have historically been a cornerstone of Trump’s base. In the 2024 election, more than 8 in 10 Trump supporters were white, according to the Associated Press. Pew Research Center also found that 55 percent of white voters backed Trump in both 2020 and 2024, while 54 percent supported him in 2016.
Maintaining this base will be critical for the Republican Party as voters prepare for the midterms in November 2026.
Approval Rating Details
The poll shows that Trump’s net approval among white voters climbed from a low of -2 percentage points in July—when 47 percent approved and 49 percent disapproved—to +6 percentage points in September. In the latest figures, 51 percent of white respondents approved of Trump, while 45 percent disapproved.
Support has shifted among other demographics as well. Rural voter backing has declined, and some national polls show increasing negative sentiment toward the president.
Recent YouGov polling for U.K. newspaper The Times found that disapproval of Trump’s job performance rose from 52 percent in April to 57 percent in July. Meanwhile, a Quinnipiac poll last month reported a 37 percent approval rating against 55 percent disapproval, marking a new low for the survey.
Expert Insights
William F. Hall, adjunct professor of political science and business at Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri, told Newsweek that the shift could “be reflective of factors that may not necessarily be readily evident, at least at first glance.
“This current shift in approval rating for President Trump, from negative to positive, particularly among the demographic group, white voters, could also be reflective of a potentially far more troubling trend, increasingly, toward greater divisiveness and tensions among different demographic groups within our population, based on race, ethnicity and an expansion and deepening of racially motivated polarization, being experienced among our population, in general.”
Looking Ahead
Trump’s approval among various demographic groups is expected to fluctuate as his presidency continues. The upcoming midterm elections in November 2026 will provide a key test of his support.
