Trump Approval Hits 29% in One Survey Weeks Before Midterms as Cost of Living and Iran War Weigh High

Trump Approval Hits 29% in ARG Poll Weeks Before Midterms

WASHINGTON — A new American Research Group survey released Monday put President Donald Trump’s job approval at 29 percent, the first time the pollster has recorded him below 30 percent in either of his White House terms and among the weakest readings of any recent national poll as the November 3 midterms approach.

The ARG poll of 1,100 adults, conducted September 16–20, found 68 percent disapproved, up 2 points from August. Approval of his handling of the economy stood at 26 percent, with 71 percent disapproving. Only 6 percent expected the economy to improve over the next year; 70 percent expected it to worsen. Among registered voters, approval was 30 percent. Republicans approved at 65 percent, independents at 26 percent and Democrats at 2 percent. The margin of error was plus or minus 3 percentage points. ARG had shown Trump at 30 percent in June, July and August. Newsweek noted that the last time a president registered in the 20s in Gallup’s long-running tracker was George W. Bush at the end of 2008.

A separate Reuters/Ipsos poll released the same day put Trump at 32 percent approval — the lowest of his political career in that series — down from 35 percent a week earlier. Republican approval of his overall job performance fell from 82 percent to 73 percent. Just 17 percent approved of his handling of the cost of living, the issue respondents said would most shape their midterm vote. For the first time in the Reuters/Ipsos series, more Republicans disapproved than approved of his work on living costs, 51 percent to 44 percent. The survey tied that souring to higher gasoline and diesel prices after the war with Iran began in February. Trump entered office in January 2025 at 47 percent approval in the same poll.

Other recent polls have generally placed Trump in the mid-to-high 30s. Marquette Law School found 37 percent approval earlier this month. Quinnipiac showed 33 percent among registered voters. Fox News and CBS/YouGov were near 39 percent. Rasmussen’s daily tracking of likely voters stood at 42 percent. Aggregators such as RealClearPolitics and The New York Times average have hovered near 38–40 percent. Civiqs tracking put him at 33 percent nationally and underwater in every major swing state. The White House did not immediately comment on the ARG results.

Republicans hold narrow congressional majorities they must defend in six weeks. Analysts have long treated sub-40 percent presidential approval as a warning for the party in power. A single poll does not determine Election Day, and ARG has consistently run lower than many other firms. The cluster of new lows on living costs, energy prices and the Iran war, however, is the backdrop against which GOP candidates are closing their campaigns.Sources:

Newsweek · The Daily Beast · Reuters / U.S. News · The Straits Times · Newsweek Marquette · NYT poll tracker · Rasmussen

Trump Approval Hits 29% in ARG Poll Weeks Before Midterms

An American Research Group survey found President Trump at 29% approval and 68% disapproval. A Reuters/Ipsos poll put him at a career-low 32%, with living costs and the Iran war cited. Other national polls remain in the mid-to-high 30s ahead of Nov. 3.