President Donald Trump celebrated the anniversary of his 2024 presidential election victory this week, but his approval rating has fallen to a new low, according to pollsters.
“People say this is the best nine months of any president,” President Trump said at the American Business Forum in Miami on Nov. 5. “And I truly believe that. If you can just stay like this for another nine months, you’ll be very happy and very content.”
But voters appeared to harshly criticize his policies at the polls on Nov. 4, when Democrats won landslides in state and local elections. The election comes as the government shutdown reaches its own record, surpassing that of the previous Trump administration, which once held the record for the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
President Trump’s average approval rating hit a new low this week after months of low but stable ratings, according to the New York Times and RealClearPolitics aggregator. What is his approval rating now?
The Economist/YouGov: Everyone is to blame for the government shutdown
The latest poll from The Economist and YouGov shows President Trump’s approval rating remains unchanged from last week at 39%. The latest poll was conducted between October 31st and November 31st among 1,656 American adults. 3, with a margin of error of approximately 3.5 percentage points.
The poll also found an increasing proportion of people said they were affected by the shutdown. One week into the shutdown, 36% said they were affected by the shutdown, compared to 21% who said they were “very or somewhat affected.”
But roughly equal-sized groups say Republicans and Democrats are to blame (35% vs. 32%), and 28% say both groups are equally responsible, according to YouGov.
NBC News poll reveals outlook for 2026 midterm elections
An NBC News poll conducted October 24-28 found that 43% of people approve of President Trump’s job performance, while 55% disapprove. The poll was conducted among 1,000 registered voters and had a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.
NBC reported that the poll found that nearly two-thirds of respondents said the Trump administration is not doing enough on the economy and the cost of living, making this a major issue that brought Trump back to the White House.
A year after another major voter test of President Trump’s agenda, NBC revealed that Democrats have an 8-point lead over Republicans in the race for control of Congress in the 2026 midterms, 50% to 42%.
CNN/SSRS: President Trump’s disapproval rating is at record high
A CNN/SSRS poll released on November 3 showed the president’s approval rating at 37%. This is the lowest second-term approval rating found in the CNN poll, and only 1 percentage point higher than the 36% approval rating at this point in Trump’s first term.
The president’s 63% disapproval rating in the poll is also a notable change in numbers dating back to January 2025. Numerically, he has the highest disapproval rate of any term in a CNN poll, one point higher than the all-time high of 62% for President Trump, who leaves office in January 2021.
In the previous poll conducted by the same public opinion research organization from July 10 to 13, the approval rate for the Republican leadership was 42%, and the disapproval rate was 58%, a 5-point change from those who were at the worst in both ratings.
More than seven in 10 respondents rated the current economic situation as “poor” or “very poor,” and 47% of respondents identified the economy and cost of living as the most important issue facing the country. The state of American democracy came next, with 26% saying it was the most important topic in the country.
A majority of respondents (61%) said that President Trump’s policies have worsened the domestic economic situation. This is a 10-point drop since March and marks the second consecutive CNN poll showing dissatisfaction with the president’s economic policies. A previous poll asking the same question in April showed 59% disapproval of President Trump’s economic policies, while a previous poll in March showed 51% disapproval.
The poll was conducted between October 27th and 30th among 1,245 US adults. The margin of error is ± 3.1 percentage points.
What is President Trump’s overall average approval rating?
According to an average compiled by RealClearPolitics and the New York Times, President Trump’s approval rating is a net negative, hitting a new low in the past week after months of relative stability.
According to graphics from RealClearPolitics, President Trump’s approval rating was 50.5% as of January 27th, making him net positive, but by March 13th, his approval rating was 47.8%, and his disapproval rating was 48.5%, making him net negative. The approval rating hit its lowest of 45.1% on April 29, but it declined near the 100th day of the Trump administration. It hit a new low of 43.3 on Nov. 5 as the shutdown became the longest on record.
President Trump’s approval rating fell from 52% in January to 44% in April, but has remained roughly flat in recent months, according to a New York Times tally. According to the Times, Trump’s lowest approval rating during his term was 42%, which he first reached on November 4, during the longest government shutdown in history.
As of November 6, President Trump’s average approval rating was 43.3%, according to RealClearPolitics, and 42% according to the New York Times.
President Trump’s approval rating is lower than other presidents
A Gallup poll conducted from October 1 to 16 found that 41% of people approve of President Trump’s job performance, a slight increase from the previous month.
Trump’s approval ratings in his first October as the 45th and 47th president of the United States were lower than any other modern president during the same period, according to a historical analysis by Gallup. According to Gallup, his October confirmation compares to other presidents’ first year in office.
- Joe Biden (October 2021) – 42% support
- President Trump (October 2017) – 37% approve
- Barack Obama (October 2009) – 53% approve
- George W. Bush (October 2001) – 88% approved
- Bill Clinton (October 1993) – 48% support
- George H.W. Bush (October 1989) – 68% approve
- Ronald Reagan (October 1981) – 55% approve
Kinsey Crowley is a Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Please contact kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky (@kinseycrowley.bsky.social).
Kathryn Palmer is USA TODAY’s political reporter. She can be reached at the following address:kapalmer@usatoday.com And to X@Kathryn Purml.
