Trump approval sinks to new low as disapproval hits record high
Trump’s approval has fallen to 34%, with doubts spreading from the economy to war powers and even his own party. Democrats’ edge in Congress has widened as the backlash broadens.
Donald Trump’s standing has slid into a more dangerous place than a single bad week in the polls. Pew Research Center found his job approval at 34%, the lowest mark of his second term, while only 38% said he keeps his promises, 44% called him mentally sharp and 42% expressed confidence in his economic decision-making.
The erosion is not confined to one side of the aisle. Pew said the decline in Trump’s standing has come at least as much from Republicans as from Democrats, a warning sign that the damage is spreading beyond the usual partisan opposition and reaching voters who once helped anchor his coalition. That matters because the weaknesses show up not only in personal image, but in core governing questions: 41% were confident in his immigration decisions, and just 38% were confident he would use military force wisely.
The issue environment helps explain why the numbers are moving. In an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll conducted April 24 to 28 among 2,560 U.S. adults, 61% said the U.S. use of military force against Iran was a mistake. A separate Ipsos poll from February found 64% disapproved of Trump’s handling of tariffs on imported goods, while 57% disapproved of his handling of the economy and 48% said the economy had gotten worse since he became president in January 2025.
The political consequences already reach beyond Trump himself. The Washington Post’s May 3 polling page showed Democrats with a five-point advantage in support for Congress, up from two points in February. That shift suggests Trump’s weakness is beginning to translate into broader governing risk, especially if voters connect his Iran policy, tariff fights and recession fears to the same judgment problem.
The broader picture is less a simple collapse than a widening test of trust. Trump still held one strength in Pew’s survey, with 64% saying he stands up for what he believes in, but even that figure was down from 68% last summer. With the economy shaky, war powers under scrutiny and his support softening inside the Republican Party, the current polling points to a president facing both tighter leverage in Washington and more exposure in the next national vote.
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