Trump approval falls to 35%, near term low as Republican support slips

The erosion is showing most clearly among Republicans who once formed the backbone of his political protection. In the latest poll, 79% of Republicans approved of Trump’s job performance, down from 82% earlier in May and 91% at the start of his term. More tellingly, 21% of Republicans now said they disapproved, up from 5% just after he returned to office. That kind of movement does not amount to a party revolt, but it does weaken the margin Trump relies on to keep congressional Republicans aligned, disciplined, and publicly loyal.

The pressure point is the cost of living. Among Republicans, just 47% approved of Trump’s handling of prices, while 46% disapproved. Across the country, only 20% approved of his stewardship over the cost of living. The political damage is tied in part to the economic fallout from Trump’s decision to order strikes on Iran in February alongside Israel, after which gasoline prices surged. In a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted May 8 to May 11, 64% of Americans said recent gas price increases had affected their household finances, and 83% expected gas prices to keep rising over the next month.

The conflict is also being judged through an economic lens at home. Two-thirds of Americans said Trump had not clearly explained why the United States went to war with Iran, and about three-quarters said his administration bore at least some responsibility for the gas-price surge. Sixty-five percent blamed Republicans more than Democrats. That matters because the issue is no longer confined to foreign policy. It is shaping perceptions of Trump’s management of the economy, which Reuters/Ipsos found was the nation’s top concern in late April.