Trump Stuck at Record-Low 32% as Midterm Enthusiasm Gap Widens
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll found just 32 percent of Americans approve of Trump's job performance, a record low. With the November 3 midterms four weeks out, Democratic voters are far more eager to cast a ballot than Republican ones.
Just 32 percent of Americans approve of President Donald Trump's job performance. The number matches the lowest mark of his political career, set in a September Reuters/Ipsos survey.
The poll surveyed 4,506 U.S. adults online over six days, ending Monday. The margin of error is 2 percentage points.
The enthusiasm numbers favor Democrats. 48 percent of voters who backed Kamala Harris in 2024 said they were "very enthusiastic" about voting in the November 3 midterms. Among Trump voters, 30 percent said the same.
Both groups still plan to back their own side. Trump voters overwhelmingly plan to vote Republican and Harris voters plan to vote Democratic. But 13 percent of Trump supporters said they were not sure who to vote for in congressional races, compared with 7 percent of Harris supporters.
Men are moving. Trump won men in all three of his presidential campaigns, including by 12 points in 2024, according to a Pew Research analysis. In this poll, men picked Democrats over Republicans for Congress, 43 percent to 39 percent — the widest Democratic edge of Trump's second term. Since August, men have mostly favored Democrats.
Other recent polls tell a similar story. An AP-NORC survey released Oct. 1 put Trump's approval at 31 percent, the lowest of either of his terms. Quinnipiac measured 34 percent. The Economist/YouGov and Ballotpedia each put him at 38 percent.
Cost of living is driving the numbers. Voters named it the top issue, followed by democratic values and immigration. Gasoline and diesel prices have surged since the war with Iran, which Trump launched in February after campaigning on not starting new conflicts and on lowering costs.
Republican strategist Charlie Gerow told Reuters the findings raise the stakes for his party’s turnout operation. He said he expects the gap to close as concern about what he called far-left Democrats gaining power motivates Republican voters. "The enthusiasm has to be ginned up among Republicans because turnout is what’s going to determine the outcome of these midterm elections," he said.
Linda Rivera, a 46-year-old Trump voter in Pennsylvania, told Reuters she would probably vote Republican but feels "neither enthusiastic or unenthusiastic" about voting. Concerns about widespread voting fraud — claims Reuters noted that Trump and his allies have made without evidence — have added to her doubts about whether she will vote at all. "I have lost faith in the voting process," she said. "I have lost faith in both parties. Not just one."
One bright spot for Republicans: voters 50 and older still favor the party over Democrats, 44 percent to 42 percent. But that was an 8-point Republican advantage in December. Control of both chambers of Congress is at stake on November 3.
