President Donald Trump has hit record-low approval ratings of 32 percent among U.S. adults with CNN/SSRS, and 36 percent among likely voters with The New York Times/Siena University poll as the midterms enter the home stretch. The findings come as Democrats hold double-digit national advantages in congressional ballot measures across both pollsters, while Republicans fight to preserve their congressional majorities on November 3. On the separate congressional ballot question, Democrats lead Republicans by 10 points among registered voters in CNN/SSRS, 49 percent to 39 percent; and 11 points among likely voters in The New York Times/Siena University poll, 52 percent to 41 percent.
National generic-ballot figures measure the overall political climate, not the outcomes of particular states or districts. However, the economic discontent recorded across both polls creates a difficult closing environment for candidates in competitive House and Senate races, with The New York Times/Siena University also finding widespread dissatisfaction over gasoline prices. Midterm elections have historically punished the president’s party, and Trump’s approval rating with CNN is seven points below his standing immediately before the 2018 vote.
Republicans therefore enter the final days of campaigning with less favorable national conditions than they faced eight years ago. CNN/SSRS polling found that 55 percent of Americans said the country was generally doing well before the 2018 midterms, while 69 percent rated economic conditions as good, compared with 30 percent and 26 percent, respectively, in its latest survey. The White House has defended Trump’s political standing, portraying him as the Republican Party’s most effective messenger despite the record-low approval results.
Spokesman Davis Ingle described the president as the GOP’s “best messenger” and “unmatched motivator” in a previous emailed statement to Newsweek, crediting his administration with economic and policy achievements as Republicans seek to retain control of Congress. Newsweek emailed the White House for further comment on Thursday morning. CNN’s latest survey put presidential approval one point beneath its previous low.
SSRS questioned a random national sample of 1,701 adults from October 15 to 18, including 1,206 registered voters, through online interviews or telephone calls with a live interviewer. Its sampling error was plus or minus 2.9 percentage points for all adults and 3.3 points for registered voters. Economic judgments explain much of the movement.
Only 27 percent approved of Trump’s handling of the economy and 23 percent backed his performance on inflation, while two-thirds said his policies had made conditions worse. Signs of erosion also appeared inside groups central to his coalition. Approval among Republicans stood at 74 percent, down from 88 percent in February 2025, while white adults without college degrees divided 45 percent approving to 55 percent disapproving.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
