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<\/figure>\n\nIt\u2019s a rough moment for one Donald J. Trump<\/b>.<\/p>\n
The president of the United States is more unpopular than he has ever been, according to a series of polls of American voters ahead of the 2026 midterms.<\/p>\n
A Quinnipiac University poll released on Wednesday<\/a> found just 32 percent of voters approve of the job Trump is doing as president, with 58 percent disapproving and 10 percent not having an opinion. That approval rating is an all-time low for Trump in the university\u2019s poll.<\/p>\n A CNN poll released this week<\/a> found a remarkably similar trend. The survey found that only 34 percent of Americans approve of the job Trump is doing, compared with a staggering 66 percent who disapprove. This, like the Quinnipiac survey, is the lowest Trump has ever been in CNN\u2019s poll \u2014 tied only with the broadcaster\u2019s survey immediately after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.<\/p>\n And an Associated Press survey released yesterday<\/a> found just 33 percent of Americans approve of the president, the lowest point of his second term.<\/p>\n So what is behind these numbers?<\/p>\n The first is the economy.<\/p>\n As we have noted throughout this newsletter for months, the economy \u2014 from gas prices to the job market \u2014 is a significant drag on Trump and Republicans. And the Quinnipiac survey backs this up. Seventy-one percent of voters described the state of the economy as either not so good or poor, compared with just 28 percent who said it was either excellent or good.<\/p>\n This is a remarkable turnaround for Trump, who seized on an economic message in 2024 to retake the White House. He routinely told crowds to think about whether they were better off before President Joe Biden<\/b> took office, casting the election as a simple decision about whether a voter was better or worse off financially.<\/p>\n The Quinnipiac survey found those sentiments have shifted on the president. Forty-nine percent of voters said they were worse off financially than they were a year ago, while 34 percent said they were better off.<\/p>\n And then there is Trump\u2019s handling of the war in Iran, a conflict he started and repeatedly promised would be short-lived. The war has now entered its sixth month, a stark contrast from Trump\u2019s description in March of the attack as a \u201cshort excursion<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n We asked Scott Clement<\/b>, our standout polling director, why Trump\u2019s <\/b>poll numbers have become so dire. The culprits? Gas prices and the war.<\/p>\n Are you getting d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu? Trump also reached record low points this spring, but he steadily rebounded in June as negotiations progressed towards a June 15 agreement to stop fighting and open the Strait of Hormuz. But Trump declared the ceasefire \u201cOVER\u201d on July 10, gasoline prices rose<\/u><\/a> 32 cents to over $4 a gallon this week and his approval ratings are back at their nadir.<\/p>\n CNN\u2019s poll shows how big of an albatross Iran is around Trump\u2019s neck: 28 percent approve of his handling of the issue (down five points from March) and 74 percent think Trump doesn\u2019t have a clear plan to handle it (up seven points). But high gas prices have also dragged Trump\u2019s ratings for handling the economy \u2014 voters\u2019 no. 1 issue in the midterms \u2014 from 39 percent in January to 30 percent this month.<\/p>\n Looking to November, Trump\u2019s sagging approval ratings are sapping Republicans\u2019 interest in voting. A Washington Post-Ipsos poll<\/u><\/a> this month found Republicans were 10 points less certain about voting this fall, a gap mostly driven by GOP voters who either disapprove of Trump or approve only \u201csomewhat.\u201d That\u2019s a much different scenario than in 2018, when Trump\u2019s approval ratings were higher, his supporters were more likely to approve of him \u201cstrongly,\u201d and Republicans were almost as likely as motivated as Democrats to vote.<\/p>\n So why does this all matter?<\/p>\n First, these numbers explain why Democrats\u2019 midterm message is squarely focused on Trump. This level of disapproval is hard for a party to overcome, even as the map of competitive races nationwide narrows because of redistricting.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause Trump and congressional Republicans run Washington together, the most honest, direct way to capitalize on the president\u2019s unpopularity is to tirelessly remind voters that GOP members have been active participants in his most harmful decisions,\u201d said Andrew Bates<\/b>, a Democratic operative and former Biden aide. \u201cName Trump, but also name the rubber stamps who\u2019ve been helping him drive up inflation and start new wars despite the needs and outcries of their constituents.\u201d<\/p>\n But then there is the Republican dynamic: How do candidates running with Trump\u2019s backing and his base hold on to that support while also acknowledging the growing antipathy voters have for the job he is doing? In the past, Republicans have run afoul of the president by seeking distance, but some Republicans are hopeful Trump could be more judicious with his criticism this cycle.<\/p>\n \u201cThe president seems to be giving a bit more grace to candidates distancing themselves this cycle,\u201d said a Republican operative working on midterm races, noting that outside of a handful of Republicans in primaries, Trump has held his fire on attacking candidates in tough races who have broken with him.<\/p>\n The operative said that they are confident candidates can overcome the Trump polling because the president still maintains a strong hold on his base and the battleground states in these midterms are primarily states that he won two years ago, like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Arizona.<\/p> Read more The next abortion battle is over Kansas\u2019s highest court<\/a><\/p>\n (Did you enjoy this analysis? Then you should <\/i>sign up to receive<\/i><\/a> The Post\u2019s new weekly newsletter on public opinion polls, anchored by Scott and launching soon.)<\/i><\/p>\n Republicans\u2019 narrow margin in the Senate \u2014 and the way that Trump has enraged key Republican senators \u2014 is impacting the president\u2019s ability to get things done in the legislative chamber.<\/p>\n On Wednesday, our colleagues Jeremy Roebuck<\/b>, Theodoric Meyer <\/b>and Perry Stein <\/b>reported that the Senate committee considering the acting attorney general Todd Blanche<\/b>\u2019s <\/b>bid to become the next attorney general delayed the vote<\/a> after two retiring Republicans \u2014 Sens. John Cornyn<\/b> (R-Texas) and Thom Tillis<\/b> (R-North Carolina) \u2014 \u201cinsisted that the Trump administration limit \u2014 in writing \u2014 central provisions of a controversial deal struck this spring between the Justice Department and the president to resolve a lawsuit he filed against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns.\u201d<\/p>\n And then yesterday, Trump lashed out at Cornyn and Tillis<\/a>, but later suggested he could withdraw Blanche\u2019s nomination and put him back up once \u201cCornyn and Tillis are out of office.\u201d<\/p>\n This will be worth watching for several reasons.<\/p>\n If Trump does withdraw the nomination, it\u2019s the rare instance of the president not getting his way from Republican lawmakers and a clear setback for his administration.<\/p>\n But there is equal risk in Trump betting that the environment after the midterms will be more favorable for him. As we have noted above, his popularity is near all-time lows, and while the odds may not be in Democrats\u2019 favor to take back the Senate, there is a decent chance they narrow the legislative body\u2019s margin after November \u2014 meaning Blanche could face an even more hostile Senate if the president pauses the process.<\/p>\n Ohio Capital Journal<\/b>: Haitians nationwide have been impacted by losing their protected immigration status in the U.S. But the most direct impacts have been felt in Ohio, where there is a large Haitian community<\/a>. \u201cThey\u2019re just terrified for their physical safety,\u201d pastor Carl Ruby<\/b> said of the possibility of the Haitian immigrants going back to a country in the midst of a humanitarian crisis.<\/p>\n North Carolina Newsline<\/b>: A nonprofit group connected to lobbyists spent \u201cnearly $80,000 on golfing, a vacation property, strip clubs, and the Carolina Panthers from 2022 to 2024.<\/a>\u201d No current or former lawmakers are facing consequences for the gifts, leading ethics advocates to push for lawmaker culpability for political junkets.<\/p>\n Spokesman Review<\/b>: The nation\u2019s national parks have experienced a boom in popularity since the covid-19 pandemic. But how do spaces known for solitude deal with an influx of visitors? It\u2019s an issue at Mt. Rainier National Park in Washington<\/a>.<\/p>\n We asked you for your response to yesterday\u2019s story on the Montana Senate race<\/a>, where Alani Bankhead<\/b>, who is struggling to raise money, is facing pressure from Democratic operatives to drop out to clear the path for independent Seth Bodnar<\/b>.<\/p>\n We received a variety of responses \u2014 from people who think the Democrat should get out to those who think it is ridiculous for Democrats to oppose the nominee who won their primary.<\/p>\n Ken Klotzle <\/b>wrote, \u201cDo whatever is necessary to deny the Republican the seat.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLet the Republicans win,\u201d added Alan Levitt<\/b>.<\/p>\n And Caroline Karp<\/b> called the Democratic apprehension with <\/b>Bankhead \u201cmisogyny\u201d and \u201cprejudice.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBodnar should drop out and DNC should back Bankhead,\u201d Karp wrote.<\/p>\n Lynne Sholty<\/b>, a self-described \u201clifelong Montanan,\u201d said she will be voting for Bodnar.<\/p>\n Bankhead \u201chas no chance of winning the state. Kurt Alme is just another one of the good old Daines boys, and we need a change,\u201d wrote Sholty.<\/p>\n And Dan Tracy <\/b>wrote that \u201cparty loyalty must give way to what\u2019s in the best interests of the country.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf that can more assuredly be achieved by supporting and electing the Independent candidate rather than the Democratic candidate, then that must be the course that is followed,\u201d Tracy concluded.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s decision to put his weight behind Sen. Darline Graham <\/b>in her bid to succeed her late brother, Lindsey Graham<\/b>, for a full term has roiled South Carolina Republicans<\/a>. \u201cI don\u2019t think that Trump is the end-all, be-all that he used to be,\u201d said CJ Westfall<\/b>, chairman of the Dorchester County Republican Party, told Natalie Allison<\/b>. What do you think about family replacing family in Congress? It happens often, but should it? Why or why not? Let us and your fellow Early Brief readers know at earlytips@washpost.com<\/a>.<\/p>