Trump approval hits 31% as Democrats widen congressional polling lead

Washington, United States. President Donald Trump’s approval has dropped to 31%, a low across his two presidential terms, according to a Reuters/Ipsos survey completed on Monday. The findings showed concern over expensive gasoline and signs that voters were prepared to penalise Republicans in congressional voting on November 3.

Economic discontent weighs on Trump

The four-day survey put approval of Trump’s job performance one percentage point below the reading recorded two weeks previously.

His standing has weakened since February, when he ordered strikes against Iran alongside Israel, a US ally. The resulting war sent gasoline costs sharply higher, squeezing household budgets.

According to the poll, 68% of Americans disapproved of his economic management. That included 37% of respondents identifying themselves as Republicans. Asked which party would manage the economy better, voters preferred Democrats, with 40% choosing them against 33% selecting Republicans.

Democratic advantage expands

Among registered voters asked which party they would support in a congressional election held immediately, 47% selected Democrats and 35% selected Republicans. That 12-point gap was the largest Democratic lead recorded during the current election cycle, compared with a seven-point advantage, 44% against 37%, in the Reuters/Ipsos survey conducted two weeks previously.

The decline in support for Republican congressional candidates largely reflected an increased proportion of women choosing Democrats. Among female voters, 50% preferred Democrats and 32% favoured Republican candidates. Male voters also leaned Democratic, although their margin was narrower.

The results could strengthen Democratic hopes of winning the US House of Representatives and the US Senate. Losing either chamber could make it harder for Republicans to advance Trump’s programme during his final two years in office.

National findings and survey limits

The party-preference question, commonly called a generic ballot, offers a nationwide picture of which party respondents would prefer to control Congress. Such surveys cannot fully reflect the individual state and district races that decide the Senate and House, where Republicans retain certain structural advantages.

The online survey collected responses from 1,679 adults across the United States, of whom 1,279 were registered voters. Its margin of error was two percentage points for the full sample and three percentage points for registered voters.