President Donald Trump’s popularity reached a new low in his second term, according to a latest poll published this Wednesday, hours after he claimed to have “the highest numbers he has ever had.”
Chronology
October 29: Trump’s approval rating fell to a second-term low at 39% in polls Economist/YouGovwhile 58% disapprove of his job performance. The survey was conducted Oct. 24-27 among 1,623 American adults (margin of error: 3.5).
Trump’s net approval rating in this poll is also lower than in all polls Economist/YouGov made during his first term, except one.
Trump told reporters Tuesday that he has “the highest (poll) numbers he’s ever had,” repeating a claim made Monday on Truth Social, even though poll averages and most individual polls show his approval rating has dropped significantly since he took office in January.
October 28: Trump’s performance approval rating decreased two percentage points, to 40%, according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll compared to the one conducted from October 15 to 20, when 42% approved of his job performance and 57% disapproved. The survey was conducted among 1,018 American adults and has a margin of error of 3 points.
The majority of respondents, 52%, said the government shutdown has no impact on their lives.
October 27: Trump’s approval rating remained stable from last week at 46%, while his 51% disapproval rating also remained unchanged in the weekly poll. Morning Consultconducted from October 24 to 26 among 2,200 registered voters (margin of error: 2 pts.).
October 22: Trump’s approval rating decreased 0.5 points from the previous week, with 39% approving of his job performance and 56% disapproving, according to a poll by Economist/YouGov conducted between October 17 and 20 on 1,621 American adults (margin of error: 3.4 pts.).
The survey found that 39% of respondents blame Republicans for the shutdown, compared to 31% who blame Democrats; 24% blame both equally and 7% said they were not sure.
October 21: Trump’s approval rating rose two percentage points in the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted Oct. 15-20, to 42%, up from 40% in the Oct. 3-7 poll. His disapproval rating decreased two points, from 58% to 56%.
The survey also found that more respondents, 50%, blame Republicans compared to 43% who blame Democrats in Congress, while 7% skipped the question.
October 20: Trump’s approval rating rose to 51%, its highest point since late August, while 46% disapprove of his job performance, according to weekly poll Morning Consult conducted from October 17 to 19 to 2,200 registered voters (margin of error: 2 pts.).
October 17: Trump’s approval rating rose one point since August in a survey of Emerson College to 1,000 voters on October 13 and 14, while approval of his handling of the war between Israel and Hamas, following the ceasefire agreement he negotiated, increased 17 percentage points, from 30% to 47% (margin of error: 3 pts.).
October 13: Trump’s approval rating dropped one point to its second-term record low of 45%, while his disapproval rating rose again to a record high of 53%, according to the weekly poll. Morning Consult conducted from October 10 to 12 to 2,202 registered voters (margin of error: 2 pts.).
October 8-18: In a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted Oct. 3-7, 40% said they approved of Trump’s job performance and 58% disapproved, a one-point decline in their net approval rating from the September poll (survey of 1,154 U.S. adults; margin of error: 3 pts.).
October 7: Trump’s approval rating fell 0.7 points from last week in the poll Economist/YouGov conducted from October 4 to 6 to 1,648 adults (margin of error: 3.4 pts.), with 39% approving its performance and 56% disapproving.
The survey found that more respondents (41%) blame Republicans in Congress and Trump than Democrats (30%) for the government shutdown that began Oct. 1, and 54% disapprove of the way Trump is handling the shutdown, compared to 33% who approve.
October 6: Trump’s approval rating of 46%, according to the monthly Harvard CAPS/Harris poll conducted in September, is down one point from August, while 50% disapprove of his job performance (survey of 2,413 voters recorded October 1-2; margin of error: 2 pts.).
A slight majority (53%) of respondents blame Republicans more than Democrats (47%) for the shutdown, although 65% say Democrats should end the shutdown by accepting the Republican spending plan.
October 6: The 46% approval rating and 52% disapproval rating remain unchanged from the last four weeks, according to the survey. Morning Consult conducted from October 3 to 5 to 2,200 registered voters (margin of error: 2 pts.).
September 30: Trump has a 43% approval rating and a 54% disapproval rating, according to a poll by the New York Times/Siena conducted from September 22 to 27 to 1,313 registered voters (margin of error: 3.2 pts.).
Crime was the only issue of the seven surveyed on which Trump had a net positive approval rating of +1 point.
September 23: A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted between September 19 and 21 of 1,019 people found that 41% approve of Trump’s job performance and 58% disapprove, a decrease of three points from the previous poll and six points since the start of his term (margin of error: 3 pts.).
Trump said Tuesday in a speech at the U.N. General Assembly that he was “very proud to see that I have the highest poll numbers I’ve ever had,” although it is unclear which poll he was referring to.
September 19: The survey Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsosconducted Sept. 11-15, found that 43% of the 2,513 adults surveyed approve of Trump’s performance, while 56% disapprove.
Trump has an average approval rating of 42% in his second term, in line with Biden’s but below every other recent president since Harry Truman, according to Gallup.
September 16: Trump’s favorability rating decreased three points to 39%, and the share of adults with an unfavorable opinion increased two points to 57%, according to the poll. Economist/YouGov conducted from September 12 to 15 with 1,567 adults (margin of error: 3.6 pts.).
The results represent an 11-point drop from the 50% favorability rating at the beginning of his term.
September 15: Trump’s job performance improved one point, to 46%, according to weekly poll Morning Consultwhile his disapproval rating remained at 52% (survey of 2,204 registered voters from September 12 to 14; margin of error: 2 pts.).
The poll found that the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk was the biggest news story of 2025, with 67% of voters saying they had seen, read or heard “a lot” about the issue.
September 10: Trump had a 42% approval rating according to the Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted September 5-9, while 56% disapproved, representing a two-point increase from the August poll (survey of 1,084 adults; margin of error: 3 pts.).
September 8: Trump’s approval rating fell one point from last week, to 45%, matching his all-time low since he took office, while 52% disapprove of his job performance (Poll Morning Consult to 2,201 voters from September 6 to 8; margin of error: 2 pts.).
September 7: The approval rating rose two points since July, to 44%, while the disapproval rating fell two points, to 56%, according to the CBS/YouGov poll of 2,385 adults (margin of error: 2.5 pts.).
The majority of respondents, 58%, oppose sending the National Guard to cities outside of Washington, DC, although sentiment is divided along party lines: 85% of Republicans favor versus 7% of Democrats.
September 3 – 41% of respondents approve of Trump’s performance, compared to 55% who disapprove, according to the survey The Economist/YouGov conducted from August 29 to September 2 to 1,691 adults (margin of error: 3.4 pts.).
September 2 – Trump’s approval rating dropped one point compared to last week, to 46%, while disapproval remained at 51%, according to the weekly poll Morning Consult to 2,202 voters (August 29-31; margin of error: 2 pts.).
Also read: Trump rules out the 2028 vice presidential candidacy and leaves the door open to a third term
General data
Trump’s average approval rating in his second term is 42%, slightly higher than the average of 41% during his first term, according to Gallup.
Compared to other presidents, Trump’s overall average during his first two terms (41%) is lower than that of all presidents since Harry Truman. Joe Biden has the second lowest average, 42%, followed by Truman (45%) and Jimmy Carter (46%).
Key background
The federal government shut down Oct. 1 after Democrats refused to back a Republican spending plan that did not include extending Affordable Care Act subsidies or reversing cuts to Medicaid.
Trump deployed the National Guard to Chicago earlier this month, despite resistance from the state’s Democratic governor, amid a crackdown on crime in major cities including Washington, D.C.
Trump also recently negotiated a ceasefire agreement in the war between Israel and Hamas, which requires Hamas to release the remaining hostages in Gaza, widely considered his most significant foreign policy achievement of his second term.
Other key moments of Trump’s second term include:
The distancing from his base following the Justice Department’s announcement in July that it would not release documents about the Epstein investigation.
The military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities in June and Congress’ passage of his signature legislation implementing campaign promises, including extension of 2017 tax cuts and tighter border control.
Trump’s approval rating has declined since the start of his term, with a notable drop coinciding with the sweeping “Liberation Day” tariffs announced on April 2 against nearly all of the US’s trading partners, although most of the tariffs have been partially reversed.
His efforts to cut the federal workforce, with the help of the Department of Government Efficiency, and his push for mass deportations are controversial aspects that have generated numerous legal actions and questions about the limits of executive authority.
This article was originally published by Forbes US
Find out: Trump claims to have his best poll numbers ‘ever’, but approval peaked in January
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