By Sam StevensonShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberPresident Donald Trump has declining approval ratings across the board and voters are growing dissatisfied with his handling of the economy, according to a series of recent polls.
Why It Matters
With the 2026 midterm elections around the corner, polling averages show Democrats leading the generic congressional ballot by nearly 5 points, according to RealClearPolling.
Trump’s reelection strategy focused in large part on his dependable economic credentials and placed a strong emphasis on Republican Party unity. But now, with inflation, the cost of living, and GOP infighting mounting, these polls suggest that Trump risks losing ground as the biggest Congressional test of his second term looms.
Newsweek contacted the White House via email outside of regular business hours for comment.
...What To Know
A host of polls from different outlets spell bad news for Trump. Meanwhile, declining approval among swing groups such as independents, Hispanic voters, and younger Americans increases uncertainty for the future of the administration and the Republican majority in Congress.
1. Fox News Poll: Trump Rated Worse Than Biden on the Economy
A Fox News poll conducted November 14–17 among 1,005 registered voters found that 76 percent now rate the U.S. economy negatively under Trump
That’s worse than the 70 percent negative view at the end of former President Joe Biden's term.
By a nearly two-to-one margin, voters blame Trump more than Biden for the current economic climate (62 percent vs 32 percent).
Economic pessimism remained highest among voters under 45, non-college graduates, lower-income, Hispanic, and Black voters.
2. Reuters/Ipsos: Trump’s Overall Approval Hits Second-Term Low
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released November 18 found Trump's overall approval rating had fallen to 38 percent—the lowest of his second term.
The drop was attributed to dissatisfaction over the cost of living, the ongoing government shutdown, and criticism surrounding the Jeffrey Epstein files.
The poll of 1,017 respondents has a roughly 3-percentage point margin of error.
3. AP-NORC Poll: Approval Among Americans Plummets
According to an AP-NORC poll of 1,143 adults, 33 percent of Americans now approve of Trump’s management of the federal government, down from 43 percent eight months earlier.
Some 33 percent said they approved of the way Trump was handling the economy, with 67 percent disapproving.
The interviews for the survey were conducted from November 6 through November 10.
...4. Morning Consult: Net Approval Drops to -10
The Morning Consult survey between November 7-9, showed Trump's net approval at -10 points (44 percent approve, 54 percent disapprove), down from -5 at the end of October.
It also showed that the government shutdown had weighed heavily on American voters’ minds, with 63 percent saying they had seen, read, or heard “a lot” about it.
5. Emerson College: Trump Approval Drops Among Hispanics
Emerson College’s national survey of 1,000 “active voters”, conducted November 3–4, found Trump’s approval dropping 4 points in a month (from 45 percent to 41 percent).
Crucially, disapproval among swing-voting independents rose to 51 percent, up from 44 percent.
Disapproval among Hispanics, another key swing group, increased dramatically from 39 to 54 percent.
6. Nate Silver: Trump Approval Rating Hits Record Low
Aggregating multiple surveys, pollster Nate Silver’s Silver Bulletin tracker reported that Trump’s net approval average has dropped from -14 points, with 42 percent approving and 56 percent disapproving, a record low for his second term.
"Donald Trump’s heightened unpopularity might be here to stay," Silver wrote earlier this month.
7. UnidosUS Poll: Trump’s Approval Among Latino Voters Dips
A UnidosUS survey of 3,000 Latino voters before the 2025 elections reported nearly two-thirds disapprove of Trump’s job performance.
Some 13 percent of Latinos who voted for Trump in 2024 now say they would not do so again, and those who felt the economy was going in the wrong direction trended upwards by 3 percent, according to Somos Votantes data.
María Teresa Kumar, CEO of Voto Latino, a nonprofit Latino voting group, said: “Those who voted disproportionately for Trump were voting around economic issues. They wanted economic relief.”
What People Are Saying
Republican pollster Daron Shaw told Fox News: “The situation isn’t complicated. People are struggling to afford necessities and blaming those in charge. What’s interesting is watching Democrats gain politically from a problem they arguably caused—and that crushed them in 2024. But that’s politics.”
In a speech Wednesday at the 2025 U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum, Trump said: “So my poll numbers just went down, but with smart people, they’ve gone way up.”
Melissa Morales, president of Somos Votantes, a left-leaning Latino voter mobilization organization, said: “Latino voters are very pragmatic. They are not necessarily going to vote based on party labels. They're going to vote for whoever is actually addressing their priorities."
Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said: “Since his inauguration, Trump has lost support among key groups: Republican voters’ approval decreased 12 points from 91 percent to 79 percent, and his disapproval intensified among independent voters, from 44 percent to 51 percent, and Hispanics, from 39 percent to 54 percent.”
Thomas Gift, associate professor of political science at University College London, said: “It’s hard to ignore when Trump’s tariffs continue to bite and inflation remains above target. For an issue that helped get Trump elected in 2024, the economy looks more like a liability for Republicans heading into the 2026 midterms.”
What Happens Next
Several contentious legislative battles, including over health care and Affordable Care Act subsidies, remain unresolved in Congress, which could also influence voters.
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