Reuters-Ipsos survey results

Lowest approval rating across both terms

President Donald Trump. [AP]
President Donald Trump. [AP]

Donald Trump's approval rating has fallen to the lowest point of his presidency, with the Nov. 3 midterm elections approaching.

A Reuters-Ipsos poll of 1,679 American adults, including 1,279 registered voters, conducted Monday (local time) found that 31 percent approved of Trump's job performance — down 1 percentage point from a survey two weeks earlier and the lowest recorded across both of his terms in office.

The gap in party preference has also widened sharply. When registered voters were asked which party they would support if the midterm elections were held today, 47 percent chose the Democratic Party and 35 percent chose the Republican Party — a 12-point gap, the largest recorded in any poll conducted during this election cycle. Two weeks ago, Democrats led by 7 points, 44 percent to 37 percent. Should Republicans lose their majority in either chamber of Congress, the Trump administration's legislative agenda for the remaining two years of his term would suffer a severe blow.

Trump's slide in the polls accelerated after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran in February, triggering a war. A surge in fuel prices driven by the prolonged conflict has squeezed household finances and dealt the sharpest blow to his standing.

Some 68 percent of respondents rated Trump's economic policies negatively, with disapproval reaching 37 percent even among Republican supporters. More respondents also named the Democratic Party (40 percent) over the Republican Party (33 percent) as better able to manage the economy.

Reuters said voters appeared ready to deliver a verdict against the ruling Republican Party in the midterms, as they voiced economic pain from high fuel prices.

The poll was conducted online and carries a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points for all respondents and plus or minus 3 percentage points for registered voters.


hwshin@heraldcorp.com