Trump’s approval falls to a record-low 33% in Post-ABC-Ipsos poll two weeks before the midterms
President Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen to 33%, lower than at any point in his first term, and Democrats lead by eight points in the race for the House, according to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll released Sunday. A separate NBC News Decision Desk poll put his approval at 34%, a second-term low in that survey.
The numbers: Among U.S. adults, 66% disapprove of Trump’s performance and 52% disapprove strongly, The Washington Post reported. His approval is four points lower than in July, and among likely voters it is 38%. By 58% to 39%, registered voters said they would rather have a Democratic-led Congress as a check on Trump than a Republican one to support his agenda.
The economy and the war: For the first time in Post-ABC polling since 2014, registered voters trust Democrats over Republicans to handle the economy, 40% to 33%, the Post reported. Trump’s economic approval is 28%. In February, before the Iran war, 71% said gasoline was affordable; now 71% say it is not. And 65% said it was a mistake to take military action in Iran.
A second poll: The NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey found 71% of adults think the country is on the “wrong track,” the highest share of Trump’s second term, NBC News reported. His approval in that poll slipped to 34%, with 66% disapproving. Democrats are not popular either: just 43% of adults view the Democratic Party favorably, NBC reported.
What it does and doesn’t show: The Post said the results do not predict individual House or Senate races, and that turnout will decide them. Democratic registered voters were more likely than Republicans to say they are certain to vote or already have, 75% to 67%. The Post-ABC-Ipsos poll was conducted online Oct. 9-13 among 2,545 U.S. adults, with a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points.