Trump’s approval rating hits record new low as midterms loom

Trump’s approval rating hits record new low as midterms loom Just 33 percent approve of Trump’s handling of his presidency, a poll says - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in President Trump’s approval rating has plummeted to a record low just weeks away from the midterm elections, according to a new poll. Around 66 percent of Americans disapprove of how Trump is handling his presidency, compared to just 33 per cent who approve. The revelation comes as the president is beset by a series of political headaches, including the brief tenure of Katie Zacharia as the White House Press Secretary and widespread anger over the war in Iran. The Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll, which was carried out with 2,545 adults between October 9 and October 13, found that 52 percent of those surveyed disapproved strongly of Trump’s performance. His approval rating sits lower than at any point during his first term and hovers eight points lower than this time last year. Despite other polling showing dissatisfaction with Trump’s handling of the presidency, the commander-in-chief has continued to boast about his party’s chances in the midterm elections and has even encouraged voters to “pretend” that he is on the ballot. “You have to pretend I’m on the ballot,” Trump said at a rally in Georgia on Friday. “OK, the story is this: We get 49% more votes when I’m on the ballot.” Despite Trump’s confidence in his record, the poll found that voters would rather see the next Congress controlled by the Democratic Party. Fifty-nine percent of respondents said that they wanted the Democrats to control Congress to act as a check on Trump, as opposed to just 35 percent who said that they wanted the GOP to remain in control in order to support Trump’s agenda. Thirty-seven percent even said that they trusted the Democrats more to handle the economy compared to 28 percent that trusted the Republicans on the same issue. It’s the first time in more than a decade that the public trusts the Democrats more to deal with the economy, The Washington Post reports. Ahead of his win in the 2024 presidential election, Trump’s campaign focused greatly on economic concerns. However, he has been widely criticized in office for launching trade wars with major U.S. partners including Canada, Europe and China through his tariff policies. Others have criticized Trump over the war with Iran, which led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil and liquified natural gas trade route. That has been blamed, in part, for a rise in fuel prices. The Democrats are trusted more by voters on the cost-of-living, the poll found, with 38 percent favoring them while just 24 percent favored the GOP. Overall, 72 percent of respondents said that the country was headed in the wrong direction compared to just 26 percent who thought the opposite. Despite the grim polling figures for the Republican Party, voters also hold a negative view of the Democrats, according to a NBC News Decision Desk Poll carried out from September 28 to October 12. The survey, which involved 19,135 adults, found that just 43 percent viewed the party favorably compared to 57 percent who felt the opposite. Meanwhile, among Republican adults, Trump held an approval rating of 76 percent. Forty-seven percent of self-identified Republicans, though, said that they do not expect to receive a $5,000 payment promised by Trump should his party hold both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Just 28 percent of the same demographic said that they do expect to receive the money. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments