With just over a week until 2026, President Donald Trump is looking ahead to the midterm elections.
He told House Republicans on Jan. 6 that they needed to maintain their majority to avoid a third impeachment. But polls consistently show President Trump’s approval ratings are waning, which won’t help the party at the polls in November.
But Trump still doesn’t shy away from controversy. On January 3, after months of increasing US pressure on the oil-rich country, US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife in a surprise attack. President Trump has also talked about taking over Greenland, although the legality of the move is hotly debated.
Criticism of the administration has grown domestically after a federal immigration officer shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis on January 7, and another officer shot and killed two people the next day in Portland, Oregon. Domestic news was reported after the latest opinion poll was conducted, but let’s take a look at President Trump’s approval rating following the intervention in Venezuela.
What is Donald Trump’s approval rating?
According to an average compiled by RealClearPolitics and the New York Times, President Trump’s approval ratings are net negative, but appear to have rebounded slightly and begun to stabilize after a sharp drop in November.
According to RealClearPolitics’ graphics, as of January 27, 2025, President Trump’s approval rating was 50.5% and his rating was net positive, but by March 13th, he had turned net negative with an approval rating of 47.8% and a disapproval rating of 48.5%. Approval ratings reached an all-time low of 42.3% on November 14, as controversy over Jeffrey Epstein’s emails intensified after the end of the government shutdown. The following week, his disapproval rating rose to a season high of 55.6% on November 21st. As of January 9, 2026, 44.1% approve and 52.7% disapprove, according to RealClearPolitics.
Trump’s approval rating fell from 52% in January 2025 to 44% in April, and remained roughly flat in the months since, according to a New York Times tally. Trump’s lowest approval rating of his term is 41%, which he first reached on November 12, according to the Times. The disapproval rate also rose to 56% on November 19, the highest level this term, according to the aggregation company. According to the Times, as of January 9, 2026, 43% approve and 55% disapprove.
The Economist/YouGov: 49% think President Trump is trying to cover up Epstein’s crimes
A weekly poll conducted by The Economist and YouGov from January 2nd to 5th found that 39% of Americans approved of President Trump’s job performance, while 56% disapproved. The poll surveyed 1,551 U.S. adults and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
The poll also asked about President Trump’s response to the Jeffrey Epstein controversy, which intensified when the Justice Department announced in late December that it had a long way to go before releasing all the files that had been scheduled for release on Dec. 19. According to YouGov, views on the relationship between Trump and Epstein have remained largely unchanged in recent months.
In the poll, 49% of Americans said Trump was trying to cover up Epstein’s crimes, compared to 30% who said he did not. Overall, only 25% of Americans approve of President Trump’s handling of the Epstein investigation, while 56% disapprove.
CBS News: Americans are divided on Venezuela
In a CBS News/YouGov poll conducted from January 5th to 7th, 41% of respondents approved of President Trump’s job performance, while 59% disapproved. The poll surveyed 2,325 U.S. adults and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.4 percentage points.
The poll found that 48% of people support US military action in Venezuela, while 52% oppose it. Whether people approve of this move is likely to be related to why they believe the United States captured Mr. Maduro.
“At this point, most people believe that one of the Trump administration’s objectives is to gain access to Venezuelan oil and expand American power in the region. And when Americans think that is a big part of those objectives, they tend to disapprove,” CBS reported.
People who believe the effort is primarily about drug cessation are more likely to support the intervention, the pollster found.
How does President Donald Trump’s approval rating compare to previous presidents?
Trump’s approval rating as the 45th and 47th president in December, his first year in office, was lower than that of any other modern president during the same period, according to a historical analysis by Gallup. According to Gallup, his December confirmation compares to that of other presidents in their first year in office.
- Trump (December 2025) – 36% support
- Joe Biden (December 2021) – 43% support
- President Trump (December 2017) – 36% approve
- Barack Obama (December 2009) – 50% approve
- George W. Bush (December 2001) – 86% approved
- Bill Clinton (December 1993) – 53% support
- George H.W. Bush (December 1989) – 71% approved
- Ronald Reagan (December 1981) – 49% support
Contributor: Josh Meyer, USA TODAY
Kinsey Crowley is a Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Please contact KCrowley@usatodayco.com. follow her X (Twitter), blue sky and TikTok.
