The Texas special election further reinforced what is expected to be a difficult time for Republicans as we rapidly move toward the 2026 midterm elections.
Democrat Taylor Lehmet flipped the Republican seat in the Texas Senate special election on January 31st. In the 2024 presidential election, Trump won the Fort Worth district by 17 points.
Trump supported Republican activist and entrepreneur Lee Wambsgans in his campaign, but later distanced himself from the campaign, saying he was not involved.
“I’m not on the ballot, so I don’t know if it’s transferable or not,” President Trump told reporters on February 1.
Parties with leaders in the White House often lose midterm elections, a trend Trump has lamented as he calls on Republicans to maintain control of Congress.
Texas’ special election follows several state and local elections in which Democrats won overwhelmingly. Midterm elections are also seen as a way for voters to express their opinions on how the country is run.
The defeated Republican candidate said the loss in Texas was a “wake-up call” for Republicans locally and nationally, according to Reuters.
A Pew Research Center poll conducted on January 29 found that only 27% of American adults approve of President Trump’s policy prescriptions, down from 35% a year earlier. A poll released by Fox News on January 28 found that a majority (54%) believe the country is worse off now than it was a year ago.
What is President Trump’s approval rating? Check out the latest poll.
What is Donald Trump’s average approval rating?
President Trump’s approval rating has been a net negative since the spring of his first year in office, according to an average calculated by the New York Times and RealClearPolitics aggregators. It was relatively stable from April to November, then suddenly fell, rebounded slightly in December, and fell again early this year.
According to a graph from RealClearPolitics, as of February 2, 42.6% approve of President Trump’s job performance, while 54.6% disapprove. The lowest approval rating for the term was 42.2% on January 16th. The net approval rating, which is the difference between supporters and non-supporters, hit its worst a few days later, on January 20th, at -13.2 points.
As of February 2, 41% of Americans approve of President Trump’s job performance, according to a New York Times tally. This is the lowest number of the period, according to the Times, but the first time he reached this level was on November 12th.
FOX News Poll: 59% of voters think ICE is too aggressive
In a Fox News poll conducted Jan. 23-26 by Beacon Research and Shaw & Company Research, 44% of respondents approved of President Trump’s job performance, unchanged from December. The overall poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
The survey also found that voters think President Trump is focused on the wrong things. Seven in 10 people don’t think he’s spending enough time on the economy, according to Fox News.
According to the poll, border security is the only issue on which President Trump has a positive approval rating (52%) online. On immigration, his approval rating hovers between 45% and 55%.
The poll also asked whether U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is being too aggressive in its efforts. According to Fox News, 59% of respondents said ICE was too aggressive, while 17% said ICE was not aggressive and 24% said it was about right.
Pew: Losing confidence among Republicans
According to a Pew Research Center poll conducted January 20-26, President Trump’s approval rating was 37%. Pew surveyed 8,512 U.S. adults and had a margin of error of plus or minus 1.4 percentage points.
Polls show that fewer voters have confidence in President Trump’s leadership on several points. The poll found that 34% of Americans are very or extremely confident in President Trump’s leadership. About half say they have little or no confidence in President Trump’s leadership skills, mental and physical strength to get the job done.
Confidence in other qualities of the Republican Party, such as ethical behavior in public office and respect for the nation’s democratic values, has declined since February, according to Pew.
Contributed by Kate Perez, Phillip M. Bailey, 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.
