What polls show about Donald Trump's approval rating ahead of midterms – PhillyBurbs
The midterm elections usually serve as a referendum on the president and congress.
In a generic congressional vote, 40% of those polled said they would vote for a Democratic Party candidate in the upcoming midterms versus 35% that said they’d vote Republican and 24% that said they still weren’t sure or said they wouldn’t vote at all. While a sizable share of voters are still undecided — the numbers in favor of Democrats are rising slightly over the last few polls.
As voter frustration grows ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, President Donald Trump’s presidential approval rating continues to shrink — hitting all time lows in the polls right now.
Here’s what the latest polls show.
Trump’s job approval rating slid below the 40% mark last week for the first time this term, according to RealClearPolling. Although the declining shift started months ago amid the ongoing war in Iran and rising prices at home, there is growing concern among the GOP heading into the November midterms.
At the same time, 65% of Americans polled by the Economist/YouGov poll say the country is heading in the wrong direction — a key indicator analysts often watch closely in election years — while voter preferences in early midterm matchups are beginning to show movement.
What remains least changed in the polls is what Americans consider their most pressing issues. People of all ages, gender, race and educational level, overwhelmingly chose “inflation and prices” as most important issue, followed by “jobs and the economy,” and “healthcare” and “taxes and government spending.” Opposition to the Iran war and how Trump is handling it also remains around the 60% mark.
A whopping 75% of Americans described the current state of the American economy as fair or poor versus 22% said good of excellent. The poll says 63% think the economy is getting worse, while only 15% described it as getting better with significant majorities of those polled saying prices of housing, gas and groceries were all going up where they live.
Trump’s presidential approval rating today is at his all time low of 39.8% that approve of his job performance versus 58.3% 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 Tuesday, May 26, 2026 at 12 p.m.
According to Civiqs, last updated May 25, Trump’s net approval in Pennsylvania stood at -16%.
Pennsylvania tilts unfavorable overall. About 56% of Pennsylvania residents polled currently disapprove of the president’s performance.About 39% approve and another 5% did not choose either.
Education: Respondents across all education levels disapprove of Trump’s job performance, with postgraduate at 70%, college graduate at 58% and non-college graduate at 52%.
Gender: Roughly two-thirds of women (61%) disapprove of Trump’s performance. Men lean unfavorable toward Trump, with 50% disapproving and 44% approving.
Age: Roughly two-thirds of voters aged 18-34 (69%) disapprove of Trump’s performance, followed by 61% of 35-49-year-olds and 49% of those 65 and older. Voters aged 50-64 were the most favorable, with 50% approving of Trump’s job performance.
Party: Democrats were most unfavorable toward Trump, with 97% disapproving, followed by independents at 57% disapproval. Meanwhile, Republicans were the most favorable toward Trump, with 83% approving of Trump’s job performance.
Race: Black or African-American voters had the highest unfavorable opinion of Trump, with 92% disapproving, followed by Other at 73% disapproval, Hispanic/Latino at 69% disapproval and white at 49% disapproval.
Although the president has dropped to a historic low of 39.8% 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, Barack 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.W. 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.
