WASHINGTON, Aug 31 - President Donald Trump’s job approval remained at 33%, holding at the lowest point of his political career, according to a national poll that concluded on Monday. That 33% reading is the third consecutive poll to register the same share of support for the president.
The survey found a notable gap in voter enthusiasm heading into the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Some 46% of self-identified Democrats described themselves as "very enthusiastic" about voting in November, while 31% of Republicans said the same.
Independent voters in the poll leaned toward Democrats if congressional elections were held today: 36% of independents said they would back Democratic candidates, while 22% said they would back Republican candidates. The poll sampled 1,167 U.S. adults nationwide and reported a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Support for the president has hovered at this low level since mid-August, a standing that the poll notes was only briefly reached early in his first presidency and is far below the 47% of Americans who approved of his performance early in his current term. The president’s current 33% approval is also lower than the low point recorded by his predecessor in office, Democrat Joe Biden, who reached 35% approval in October 2024.
Widespread discontent over economic matters is a central driver of the low approval numbers. The poll reported that 71% of Americans disapprove of how Trump is handling the cost of living, a view shared by about four in 10 Republicans. For the last month, registered voters in the survey have said the Democratic Party has better ideas for the economy than the Republican Party, marking the first time in roughly a decade that Democrats have led on that question among registered voters.
The war with Iran also factors into public assessments of the administration. Only 36% of respondents approved of how the war has been handled, the poll showed. The conflict has seen intermittent lulls and recent exchanges of missile strikes, and the survey noted that since the war began, Iran has largely blocked a major transit point for the global oil trade. The poll also reported that gasoline prices have surged since Trump ordered U.S. forces to begin bombing Iran in February.
Those concerns about inflation and energy prices appear tied to voter sentiment: the level of disapproval over the handling of the cost of living is substantial, and economic perceptions have shifted toward the Democrats in this recent polling window.
Methodology notes: The four-day national poll surveyed 1,167 U.S. adults and carries a margin of error of 3 percentage points in either direction.