President Donald Trump is set to resign from the administration this week in the wake of the Iran war, marking his first resignation less than three weeks after the conflict began.
The war has proven controversial among the American public, with some polls showing that about half of voters have no support for President Trump’s handling of the war or military action in Iran.
The midterm elections are drawing to a close, and as midterm elections often serve as a referendum on the presidency, much attention is being focused on President Trump’s approval rating. The president’s low approval ratings could be a wake-up call for Republicans who want to maintain control of Congress after the November vote.
So, what is President Trump’s approval rating? Here’s what you need to know:
What is Donald Trump’s 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, but then fell sharply.
As of March 18, 42.3% approve of President Trump’s performance, while 55.2% disapprove, according to a graph from RealClearPolitics. The lowest approval rating for term was 42% on February 17th. In addition, his net approval rating was -13.5 percentage points, his worst ever, and reached this approval rating the following week.
As of March 18, 40% of people approve of President Trump’s job performance, according to a New York Times tally, the lowest since reaching that level for the first time on February 12, according to the New York Times. The disapproval rate is 55%. His disapproval rating peaked at 57% on March 1st.
The poll aggregator’s lowest date reflects polls taken over the past few days. In mid-February, President Trump suffered a major blow as tensions with Iran escalated after the Supreme Court ruled to cancel many of his tariffs, continuing the fallout from millions of documents released through the Epstein File Transparency Act.
What do Republicans think about Trump?
Trump has long been a polarizing figure, and his approval ratings have been driven largely by his own party. Below are recent polls and a breakdown of his approval ratings by party.
The Economist/YouGov: The poll was conducted among 1,595 adults between March 13 and 16, and had a margin of error of approximately 3.5 percentage points.
- Overall approval rating: 37% approve, 56% disapprove
- Republican approval rating: 84% approve, 11% disapprove
- Democratic Party approval rating: 4% approve, 92% disapprove
Morning Poll: The poll was conducted March 13-16 among 2,201 registered U.S. voters and had a margin of error of 2 percentage points.
- Overall approval rating: 43% approve, 54% disapprove
- Republican approval rating: 86% approve, 13% disapprove
- Democratic Party approval rating: 10% approve, 88% disapprove
How does President Trump’s approval rating compare to his first term?
President Trump’s approval rating is comparable to his first term. Trump’s net approval rating was -14 points at this point in his first term, compared to -15 points now, according to a New York Times tally. According to RealClearPolitics aggregator, as of March 17, 2018, 41.1% approved and 54.2% disapproved.
Contributor: Katherine Palmer, USA TODAY
Kinsey Crowley is a Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Please contact KCrowley@usatodayco.com. follow her X (Twitter)thread, blue sky and TikTok.
