The share of Americans disapproving of President Donald Trump's job performance has reached 62%, the highest of his tenure, as US gasoline prices hit a four-year peak in the aftermath of the Iran war, according to a new poll.
The Washington Post, together with ABC News and polling firm Ipsos, surveyed 2,560 US adults between the 24th and 28th of last month (margin of error ±2.0 percentage points) and found Trump's job approval rating at 37%, the newspaper reported Tuesday (local time). While Trump's approval was similar to the 39% recorded in February, disapproval of his job performance climbed to 62%, the highest across both his first and second terms.
Support among Republicans held firm at 85%, but approval among Republican-leaning independents slipped to 56%. Among all independents, Trump's approval stood at just 25%.
Americans expressed broad dissatisfaction with Trump's leadership on the Iran war and several other key issues. On his handling of the Iran war, 66% disapproved while 33% approved.
Approval on economic issues — a decisive factor in Trump's 2024 election victory — has declined since the Iran war began in late February.
His approval on economic management fell 7 percentage points from the February survey to 34%, weighed down by the surge in oil prices triggered by the Iran war. Approval on his handling of inflation also dropped 5 percentage points over the same period to 27%.
The lowest-rated area of Trump's governance was the cost of living, with 76% disapproving and just 23% approving.
Asked which party they would vote for if House elections were held today, 49% of registered voters said the Democratic Party, ahead of the Republican Party at 44% — a 5-percentage-point gap. That is wider than the February survey, when Democrats led 47% to 45%.
Two-thirds of respondents said the country is heading in the wrong direction. More than 90% of Democrats and about 80% of independents shared that view. Within the Republican Party, 87% of the MAGA wing said the country is on the right track, compared with just 49% of non-MAGA Republicans.
The Washington Post noted that "Trump's low approval ratings are putting the Republican Party's slim House majority at serious risk six months ahead of the November midterm elections, and are now threatening the Senate majority as well."
How much is the US war bill, with losses triple the cost of each missile fired?
