Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Trump approval falling ahead of US midterm elections

Washington, United States. US President Donald Trump’s approval rating fell to 31% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Sunday, with voters leaning away from supporting Republican candidates in the November 3 midterm elections.

The four-day poll found that just 17% of respondents approved of Trump’s handling of the cost of living, which Americans identified as the leading issue likely to influence their vote.

Approval ratings

Trump’s overall approval rating declined from 35% in the previous Reuters/Ipsos poll. Support among Republican respondents fell to 73%, from 82% a week earlier.

Trump returned to the White House in January 2025 after pledging to curb inflation and end foreign wars. A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted shortly after his inauguration showed a 47% approval rating.

His current rating is below the lowest recorded for his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, whose approval rating reached 35% in late October 2024 amid rising inflation and concerns over his age following a poor debate performance.

Cost of living and Iran conflict

Dissatisfaction among Republican voters over inflation has increased since Trump launched the war on Iran in February, which has sharply raised gasoline and diesel prices.

For the first time, more Republican respondents disapproved than approved of Trump’s handling of the cost of living, by 51% to 44%.

Only 34% of respondents approved of strikes on Iran. The conflict has cut the world off from a significant share of Middle Eastern oil and gas production and could contribute to higher inflation in the United States and elsewhere as businesses pass higher fuel costs on to consumers.

Trump initially said the conflict would last a few weeks and that Iran needed to be bombed to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons. Earlier this month, he said the war would end “immediately after” the election, but Iran has shown no sign of giving up, while Tehran and its allies have threatened further disruptions to oil markets.

Some 82% of respondents, including nine in 10 Democrats and three-quarters of Republicans, said they believed the conflict would continue for an extended period.

White House developments

The poll was conducted during a period in which Trump expelled three major news organisations from the White House and suggested that Washington’s Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts could be torn down if his own name could not be added to it.