Day 500 of Trump's second term came with a dubious milestone: he's now the least popular president ever recorded in a major poll. Ever. In history. And no one is surprised. Well, except for Donald J. Trump, who will likely call the poll "rigged."
The Economist, which has tracked presidential approval with YouGov for 17 years, reported Thursday that Trump hit a net approval rating of -25 — down another 1.1 points from the previous week — with 35% approval and 60% disapproval. The drag? The war in Iran, with more than half of Americans saying the conflict was the wrong call, has been ongoing for months, even though the president tells us daily that it will end soon.
Trump’s handling of the economy was also a concern among respondents, with three-quarters of Americans saying its condition is “fair” or “poor” and 59% saying it is getting worse. Hey, have you been grocery shopping lately or filled up your car with gasoline? Yeah, it's bad. Still, Trump remains unconcerned of the struggles every day Americans are going through.
“If that doesn’t change, it will hurt the Republican Party in November’s midterm elections,” The Economist reported. “Our forecasting model says the Democrats have a nine-in-ten chance of winning control of the House of Representatives. The Senate is a toss-up.”
The Economist also projected Trump’s net approval rating by state.
The president has a positive net approval rating in just four states: Wyoming (+18), Idaho (+14), West Virginia (+10), and North Dakota (+1). The Economist reported that Trump’s net approval rating in Massachusetts is -38. Here in NC, my adopted state, he's at -24.
Trump's base, though, hasn't budged — his voters still back him in overwhelming numbers. But the larger picture is harder to spin: dissatisfaction with Trump runs deep even in states he carried in 2024. For Republicans staring down competitive midterm races this year, those numbers aren't exactly comfort reading.
