US President Donald Trump’s approval rating has hit a new low with only 37% of Americans saying they approve of his performance, one of his lowest ratings ever recorded. A new CNN/SSRS poll released on Monday shows a sharp dip from February this year, when 47% of Americans approved of his work in office, soon after he began his second term in January.
Donald Trump’s approval rating drops to one of its lowest levels
The survey, conducted among 1,245 adults between October 27 and 30, also found a 63% disapproval rate, just a percentage point higher than Trump’s all-time low from the week after the January 6, 2021, Capitol Hill riot. CNN’s Poll of Polls average, which puts Trump’s approval at 41% as of Sunday, shows a similar dip since January. Across party and demographic, Trump’s approval has been falling continuously since the summer.
Negative views on Trump’s key policies
A majority of Americans hold critical views of Trump’s performance on major national issues. 56% say his foreign policy decisions have disbalanced America’s global standing. 57% believe he has gone too far in deporting immigrants living in the US illegally.
About 68% of Americans believe that nothing is going well in the United States, while 72% think the economy is in poor shape. Nearly half (47%) say the economy and cost of living are the biggest issues in the country right now. About 6 in 10 respondents (61%) believe Trump’s policies have made economic conditions worse.
Meanwhile, roughly 8 in 10 Americans see the ongoing federal government shutdown as a crisis or a major problem. 61% disapprove of Trump’s handling of it, and 58% disapprove of how congress leaders from both parties are managing it.
Democrats leading in early midterm
Looking ahead to next year’s elections, the poll found that 47% of registered voters would choose a Democrat in their district if the vote were held today, compared with 42% who would pick a Republican. Others say they no longer will vote for a Republican (42%) than those who say the same about a Democrat (35%).
According to the survey, 41% say their congressional vote would be a way to show opposition to Trump, while only 21% say it would be a support message for him. Among independents, Democrats lead 44% to 31%, with 19% undecided or unwilling to choose either side.
Voters who align with Democrats appeared more eager to vote than their Republican counterparts. 67% of Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents say they are extremely motivated to vote next year, compared to 46% of Republican-aligned voters.
Within the Democratic base, those concerned about the state of democracy are the most motivated. 82% say they are strongly committed to voting, while among those who view the economy as their top issue, 57% say the same. CNN’s data suggests that the Democratic Party’s image problem and internal rift might not hurt them at the polls.
Only 65% of Democratic-aligned voters hold a favourable view of their own party, compared to 80% of Republican voters who feel positive about the GOP. Yet, even Democrats with negative opinions of their party say they’ll still vote blue, 93% plan to support the Democratic candidate in their district, and 71% say they’re motivated to turn out.
Overall, Democrats now hold a 12-point advantage among voters who say they are “extremely or very motivated” to participate in next year’s elections.