Trump approval rating falls to 32% as GOP support slips

Trump approval rating fell to 32% in a new Ipsos poll, testing Republican unity over living costs before the November 3 midterm elections.

Poll shows Republican slippage

The four-day online survey closed Sunday and gathered responses from 1,277 US adults nationwide, with a margin of error of 3 percentage points. The poll described the 32% reading as the lowest approval level of Trump's political career.

Republican approval of President Trump's job performance stood at 73%, down from 82% in a comparable poll one week earlier. His overall approval rating in that earlier survey was 35%, giving the new result a 3-point decline over the week.

The drop matters because Republicans are defending narrow congressional majorities in November. A president's approval rating is not a ballot result, but it can shape fundraising, candidate recruitment and the willingness of lawmakers to break with the White House.

Living costs overtake loyalty

The steepest weakness in the poll was on household prices. Just 17% of respondents approved of Trump's handling of the cost of living, which the survey identified as the top issue Americans say will determine their midterm vote.

Among Republicans, the poll showed a reversal on that same question: 51% disapproved of Trump's handling of living costs, compared with 44% who approved. That is a more politically useful measure than national approval alone because it points to erosion inside the party's own voter base.

Trump returned to the White House in January 2025 after campaigning on promises to bring inflation under control and end foreign wars. In a poll conducted in the hours after he was sworn in, his approval rating was 47%, giving the latest 32% result a 15-point decline from the start of his term.

The poll said Republican dissatisfaction on living costs has grown since Trump launched the war with Iran in February. It said gasoline and diesel prices have moved higher during the conflict, a cost channel that reaches voters quickly through commuting, freight and food distribution.

November 3 narrows choices

The timing gives the numbers more weight. Midterm campaigns often turn on local candidates and district lines, but national economic sentiment can decide whether wavering voters stay home, split tickets or punish the governing party.

For Republican incumbents, the risk is not only a lower presidential approval rating. It is the combination of a weak cost-of-living score and a foreign war that can make domestic price arguments harder to separate from national security messaging.

Democrats gain a clearer opening if they can keep the campaign centered on household expenses rather than broader ideological fights. Republicans, by contrast, have an incentive to argue that any fuel-price pressure is temporary and that Trump remains better positioned to manage security and inflation together.

If the 32% approval reading holds into the fall, the macro effect would likely run through policy uncertainty: lawmakers may become less willing to take politically costly votes on spending, taxes or energy. For Trump and Republican candidates, the direct effect would be pressure to show visible relief on prices; for the broader energy and retail sectors, the mechanism would be voter sensitivity to fuel and transport costs.

If fuel prices ease and Republican approval on living costs recovers from the 44% support level shown in the poll, the White House could argue that the February shock has passed. The open question is whether the cost-of-living measure improves before November 3, or whether it becomes the defining constraint on Republican control of Congress.