What is Trump's approval rating today? Here's what the polls say now – Bergen Record
President Donald Trump’s approval rating remains under water as the 2026 midterms approach, fueling questions about voter sentiment as control of Congress hangs in the balance. Here’s what the latest polls show.
Trump’s presidential approval ratings have trended downward since he took office this term, but the numbers notably started sinking during the October government shutdown and they’ve since tanked to his all-time low this week amid the ongoing war in Iran and rising prices at home.
According to the most recent YouGov poll this week, Americans of all ages, gender, race and educational level, overwhelmingly chose “inflation and prices” as their most pressing issue. It was followed by “jobs and the economy,” and “healthcare” and “taxes and government spending.” 60% of those polled were opposed to the war in Iran and just as many disapproved of the way Trump was handling it.
When it comes to the direction of the country a whopping 61% said it was “off on the wrong track.” However, when looking ahead at the November midterms, those polled didn’t appear completely swayed one way or the other to make a congressional change.
Instead, a generic congressional poll right now, shows 38% would vote for a Democratic Party candidate, 34% said they’d vote Republican and 27% said there still weren’t sure or said they wouldn’t vote at all.
Midterm elections often serve as a referendum on the president and congress, which are all under Republican majority right now. A Democratic win in the House or Senate would give them control of at least one or both of the congressional branches and make it harder for president and the GOP to pass their agenda or even risk another Trump impeachment.
Trump’s presidential approval rating today is at his all time low of 40.5% that approve of his job performance versus 56.3% that disapprove, according to RealClearPolling. It declined from an initial high of 50.5% approval and 44.3% disapproval rating when he took office in January 2025.
Trump’s current approval ratings are lower than his first term average approval numbers of 42.8% and also former President Joe Biden, whose overall approval rating was 43.2%.
Note: Polls are constantly changing and different pollsters ask opinions of different segments of the population. These numbers reflect polling as Friday, May 8, 2026 at 3 p.m.
Although the president has dropped to a historic low of 40.5% in approval rating polls this term so far, Trump hit a 34% low in the first term and other recent presidents such as Biden hit a 36% low, Barak Obama hit a 40% low, George W. Bush hit a 25% low, and Bill Clinton hit a 37% low, according to the Gallup polls, whose recorded lowest rating was Harry Truman with 22%.
As for the highest presidential approval ratings, George W. Bush holds the highest approval rating ever recorded at 90%, while his father, George H. Bush holds the second highest at 89%.
Trump is the only president that has not reached a 50% or higher approval to date in the Gallup polls’ history.
Maria Francis is a Pennsylvania-based journalist covering trending and breaking topics across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions for USA Today Network. Reach her at mfrancis@usatodayco.com.