Donald Trump's approval rating among independents sounds alarm – Newsweek
Published
Jun 02, 2026 at 05:08 PM EDT
News Editor
President Donald Trump’s approval rating among independents has slipped to an all-time low, a new poll from YouGov/The Economist released on Tuesday shows.
Shifts in approval and disapproval ratings could signal broader erosion and complicate the Republican Party’s midterm strategies this year, especially as multiple trackers show Trump significantly underwater nationally. Independents often determine close elections.
According to the poll, Trump’s overall approval rating was 35 percent versus a 61 percent disapproval rating, for a net of -26. Among independents, his approval was 21 percent versus a 71 percent disapproval, a net -50.
YouGov’s Allen Houston, in an emailed release to Newsweek on Tuesday, said in part: “That’s a record-low among Independents for either term. At this point in Trump’s first term, he had a -3 net job approval among Independents.
“Trump’s job approval among Independents has fallen so low that the closest first-term comparison isn’t to Independents, whose net approval of Trump in his first term never fell below -30. Rather, Trump’s approval among Independents is close to how Democrats viewed Trump at the start of his first term, when he had a -54 net approval among Democrats [13 percent approve and 67 percent disapprove].”
Trump’s 61 percent disapproval is also the highest number he has had across either term with the pollster, Houston said in the release.
The survey was taken May 29-June 1 among 1,604 U.S. adults and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
Columbia University professor Robert Y. Shapiro told Newsweek on Tuesday: “The concern about Independent voters is not very relevant to primaries but is a danger sign for Republicans in the midterm elections if they hold Republican candidates accountable for Trump’s blunders so far. If this carries forth to the next presidential election, in 2029 the Democrats will likely control the presidency and both houses of Congress.”
When reached for comment about the new poll on Tuesday, the White House sent Newsweek a repeatedly used statement from spokesman Davis Ingle: “The ultimate poll was November 5th 2024 when nearly 80 million Americans overwhelmingly elected President Trump to deliver on his popular and commonsense agenda. No other President in history has accomplished more for the American people than President Trump, who is working tirelessly to create jobs, cool inflation, increase housing affordability, and more. The President has already made historic progress not only in America but around the world, and this is just the beginning as his agenda continues taking effect.”
In a Morning Consult poll late last month, Trump had an overall approval rating of 43 percent versus a disapproval rating of 54 percent. Among independents, his approval rating was 29 percent and his disapproval rating 65 percent. The survey noted that 7 percent didn’t know or had no opinion.
The poll was taken May 22-24 among 2,204 registered voters in the U.S. and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
In an I&I/TIPP poll late last month, Trump’s overall approval rating was 37 percent versus a 54 percent disapproval rating and 9 percent not sure or unfamiliar. Among independents, his approval was 24 percent versus 62 percent disapproval and 14 percent not sure or not familiar.
The poll was taken May 26-28 among 1,589 adults and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.7 percentage points.
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