Trump approval hits new low at 26%; 65% blame him for economic woes

Only 17% of US adults approve of Trump’s handling of the cost of living, 26% approve of his handling of the economy, according to the AP-NORC survey. This marks a new low for Trump.

The poll, conducted among 2,140 adults from September 24 to 28, comes as Americans continue to grapple with higher grocery and fuel costs and as Trump steps up his campaign appearances ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.

More significantly, 65% of Americans say Trump’s policies are more responsible for persistently high costs than factors outside his control. The finding puts pressure on an administration that campaigned heavily on lowering prices and has defended tariffs, domestic production and other economic measures as ways to strengthen the US economy.

Cost of living becomes a political problem

The AP-NORC findings show that the economic pressure is being felt in everyday household spending.
About half of US adults say they are extremely or very concerned about being able to afford gasoline, up from 39% in July. A similar share express high concern about being able to afford food.

“Prices are extremely exorbitant. Just the cost of everything is going up as a result of fuel,” said Pedro Sanchez, 52, of Perris, California, who voted for Trump and works in law enforcement to AP. “I used to have a lot more disposable income. I don’t have that any more. It’s gotten eaten up because of all these increases in the cost of everything.”

Trump’s approval rating on the economy is now 14 percentage points below its level in March 2025, shortly after he returned to office. The change is notable because economic issues were often a relative strength for Trump during his first term.

About seven in 10 Americans say Trump’s handling of the cost of living has been worse than expected. That dissatisfaction extends into the Republican base, with about six in 10 Republicans disapproving of his handling of living costs, according to AP-NORC.

Republicans are also feeling the pressure

The dissatisfaction is not limited to Democrats or independents.While 67% of Republicans in the AP-NORC survey say factors outside Trump’s control are more responsible for high prices, roughly six in 10 Republicans still disapprove of his handling of the cost of living.

Iran war and tariffs add to economic concerns

Trump’s handling of the war with Iran is another source of public dissatisfaction. About 69% of Americans say the war has not been worth fighting, up from 64% in July. Only 28% approve of Trump’s handling of Iran, according to AP-NORC. The conflict has also contributed to higher energy costs, adding another layer of pressure for households and businesses.

Trump’s trade policies are also drawing criticism. Only about three in 10 Americans approve of his handling of trade negotiations with other countries, while 64% say he has gone too far in imposing new tariffs.

The concerns are also shown in other recent polling. A September Marquette Law School survey found that 28% of Americans approved of Trump’s handling of the economy, while just 19% approved of his handling of inflation and the cost of living.

The survey also found that 64% believed Trump’s policies were increasing inflation, compared with 18% who said they were reducing it.

The same survey found that 68% of Americans expected inflation and the cost of living to increase over the next 12 months. Thirty-eight percent said they were worse off financially than a year earlier, compared with 19% who said they were better off.

NBC poll shows economic dissatisfaction

A separate NBC News poll released in September also showed Trump’s economic standing weakening.
The survey found that 41% of registered voters approved of Trump’s overall job performance, while 56% disapproved. It was the lowest approval rating for Trump in the NBC News poll during his second term.

More importantly, 55% said Trump’s policies had hurt the US economy, up from 48% in March. Only 26% said his policies had helped the economy.

The findings indicate that voters are increasingly judging the administration’s economic record through household expenses rather than economic indicators.

Gasoline prices have become particularly important. Marquette found that 80% of Americans believed gas prices had increased over the previous six months. The survey also found that inflation and the cost of living remained the most important issue for 37% of respondents, followed by the economy at 16%.

The economic issue is also changing the traditional partisan advantage on the subject. In the NBC survey, Democrats held a narrow 39% to 38% edge over Republicans on which party voters trust more to handle the economy, although the difference was within the poll’s margin of error.

Indian-American voters lean Democratic

The economic debate is unfolding alongside signs of a strong Democratic preference among Indian-American voters. The 2026 Asian American Voter Survey by Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote and AAPI Data found that 66% of Indian-American voters said they would support a Democratic candidate in a Senate race, compared with 22% for Republicans. For House races, 66% backed Democrats and 18% Republicans.

The survey included 2,066 registered voters, including 242 Indian-American respondents. It was conducted from June 3 to July 27 and released on August 26.

Across the AAPI electorate, Democrats led Republicans 60% to 24% among voters asked about Senate races and 64% to 22% in House races.

The survey also showed that economic concerns cut across the AAPI electorate. Cost of living and inflation were identified as very or extremely important by 90% of Asian-American voters. Healthcare was next at 82%, followed by jobs and unemployment and Social Security and Medicare.

The AAPI electorate is also growing. An estimated 16 million Asian American and Pacific Islander citizens are eligible to vote in 2026, including about 1.6 million newly eligible voters since the 2022 midterms. About 90% of AAPI registered voters said they planned to vote in the 2026 elections, compared with 84% in 2022.