Trump’s approval ratings dip ahead of midterms in November

Washington: Ahead of the midterm elections in November, US President Donald Trump's overall approval ratings have dipped to 37 per cent, and 66 per cent Americans do not appreciate his handling of economic issues, a poll has found.

The US President gets his best ratings for handling immigration at the US-Mexico border with 45 per cent approving of his policies, while 54 per cent expressed disapproval, according to the Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll.

Large numbers of Americans say they trust "neither" political party to handle major issues, including 23 per cent who say this about immigration, 27 per cent on the economy, 28 per cent on crime and 33 per cent on inflation.

A slight majority (51 per cent) trusts neither Republicans nor Democrats to handle artificial intelligence.

The Iran war has dented the confidence of Americans in Trump's handling of economic issues, which were crucial to his political comeback in 2024.

Americans disapprove of his handling of the situation with Iran by 66 per cent to 33 per cent. His rating on the economy has declined by seven points, to 34 per cent, as gas prices have spiked.

His approval rating on inflation has fallen five points in that time to 27 per cent and his lowest rating comes on perceptions of his handling of the general cost of living, with 23 per cent approving vs. 76 per cent disapproving.

"Trump's overall approval now stands at 37 per cent, largely the same as the 39 per cent figure in February. But his disapproval has reached 62 per cent, the highest of his two terms in office," the Washington Post said.

However, Trump holds sway among Republicans with approval ratings of 85 per cent. His ratings among Republican-leaning independents have reached a new low of 56 per cent. His approval rating stands at 25 per cent among independents overall.

But Republicans maintain a large advantage in terms of trust to handle crime, while Democrats are more trusted to handle health care, education and the cost of living in the US.

The new poll finds the people surveyed evenly split on handling of the economy, with 34 per cent saying they trust Republicans, 33 per cent saying they trust Democrats and the rest saying they trust neither or both equally.

When the same question was asked ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, Republicans had a double-digit advantage on the economy, according to the Washington Post.

Among registered voters, Democrats hold a five-point advantage on the question of which party people favour in House elections. That is up from a two-point edge in February and October.

The Democrats' advantage grows to nine points among those who are absolutely certain to vote.

Democrats also are far more likely than Republicans to say voting this fall is more important than previous midterms (73 per cent vs. 52 per cent), a shift from 2022 when the parties were roughly even on this (72 per cent among Republicans vs. 68 per cent of Democrats).

The gap in enthusiasm is partly explained by a split in Trump's base.

Those Republicans who identify as MAGA (Make America Great Again) are more likely (77 per cent) to say they are absolutely certain to vote, compared with 59 per cent of the smaller group of non-MAGA Republicans. Meanwhile, 79 per cent of all self-identified Democrats say they are absolutely certain to vote.