Trump Approval Hits Record Lows in Two Polls

Two national surveys released this weekend put President Donald Trump's job approval at the lowest level each has ever measured, less than two months before the midterm elections.

A Financial Times poll conducted by Focaldata found 33% of registered voters approve of Trump's performance as president — down three points from the previous month and the lowest reading since the FT began asking the question in May, according to the FT's own account of its poll. Focaldata surveyed 1,914 registered voters online from Aug. 28 to Sept. 1, with a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points, as reported by Newsmax citing the FT.

Separately, the NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey put Trump's overall approval at 36%, with 64% disapproving. USA Today, reporting on NBC's release, called it a record low for NBC's polling this term. That survey covered 7,105 adults online from Aug. 20 to Sept. 1, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points, per NBC's topline as described by Newsweek and USA Today.

The two numbers are not interchangeable. Focaldata polled registered voters; NBC polled adults. Neither pollster published a combined figure, and no average of the two exists.

Where His Own Party Is Softening

The clearest movement in both polls is inside the Republican coalition — not in whether Republicans approve, but how strongly.

NBC found 41% of Republicans "strongly approve" of Trump's job performance, down from 52% in its spring polling. Newsweek reported it is the first time that figure has fallen below 50% in NBC News Decision Desk polling. The share of Republicans who "somewhat approve" rose from 31% to 39%, USA Today reported. Overall Republican approval remains high in that poll: 80% of Republicans and 93% of self-identified MAGA supporters still approve.

In the FT-Focaldata poll, approval among Republican voters slipped by more than two points to 72% — another low for that series — and only 53% of GOP voters backed Trump's handling of jobs and the economy, down nearly eight points from the prior month, according to Newsmax's report on the FT poll.

The Economy And The War

Economic sentiment is the through-line. In the FT poll, nearly two-thirds of registered voters said the economy was headed in the wrong direction, and 57% said they were financially worse off under Trump, up from 53% a month earlier. Fifty-six percent said they disapproved of Trump's 50% tariff on roughly $20 billion in Canadian goods, including more than 60% of independents and nearly a third of Republicans. Democrats led Republicans by 7.5 points on the generic congressional ballot, up from five points a month earlier.

The Center Square's Voters' Voice Poll, conducted by Noble Predictive Insights among 2,533 registered voters from Aug. 12 to 16 (margin of error plus or minus 2.0 points), found 40% approve of Trump's handling of the economy and 58% disapprove — a net minus 17, worse than his overall job rating in the same poll of 42% approve and 56% disapprove. Both measures improved modestly from that poll's June wave, when the economy stood at net minus 23 and overall approval at net minus 18. Federal data cited by The Center Square shows consumer prices up 3.4% over the 12 months ending in July, with the economy growing at a 1.5% annual rate in the second quarter.

On Iran, NBC found 31% of Americans approve of Trump's handling of the war and 69% disapprove — little changed from spring, when it was 33% to 67%. But strong approval among Republicans on the war fell 18 points, to 30%, and among MAGA Republicans it fell 21 points, to 43%, Newsweek reported from the poll.

A separate Newsweek analysis of Civiqs' rolling online tracking poll of registered voters put Trump nationally at 34% approve and 60% disapprove as of Sept. 4, a net minus 26. In that tracker, Newsweek found Trump underwater in every major battleground state, with Wyoming his best state at net plus 15 and Maryland his worst at minus 54. Among voters aged 18 to 34, 21% approved and 72% disapproved. Civiqs recorded Trump at 43% approve and 53% disapprove at a comparable point before the 2018 midterms.