President Donald Trump's approval rating sits at 36-37%, which is the worst since Harry Truman -- and that's not only news for the administration, experts say it indicates possible problems for the Republican Party in the midterms.
Tie that approval rating with the University of Michigan's latest consumer sentiment survey, which shows a relatively low economic optimism rating of 57.3, and it suggests many Americans are dissatisfied.
And with Trump as the face of the current economy, it could spell trouble for the GOP's effort to retain control all houses of government.
"The midterms are all about the president, and that's true not just for Donald Trump, but for previous presidents. It's the first chance that voters have to weigh in on how they think the president is doing. And in a few cases, the President's party has actually gained ground in the midterms, but that's not usually the case," USA TODAY Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page said on an episode of The Excerpt podcast.
She added: "We took a look at three of the more respected pollsters who have recently been in the field, and they put his approval rating at 36 or 37%. That is dismal. That is the worst. If that persists until the midterms, that would be the worst standing for a president since Harry Truman. So that is a red alarm blaring for Republicans. Because when a president's approval rating is that low, when it sinks to 40% or below, that is really a time we see often dozens of house seats lost by the president's party."
Healthcare costs have risen for many Americans due to the expiration of ACA subsidies, which could be a significant issue in the upcoming midterm elections.
As for consumer sentiment, U-M's Survey of Consumers Director Joanne Hsu wrote, "Concerns about the erosion of personal finances from high prices and elevated risk of job loss continue to be widespread.
"Year-ahead inflation expectations fell from 4.0% last month to 3.5% this month, the lowest reading since January 2025. This month’s reading still exceeds those seen in 2024 and remains well above the 2.3-3.0% range seen in the two years pre-pandemic. Long-run inflation expectations inched up for the second straight month, from 3.3% last month to 3.4% this month. In comparison, readings ranged between 2.8% and 3.2% in 2024, and were below 2.8% throughout 2019 and 2020."
Statistician extraordinaire Nate Silver piled on to Trump's latest ratings, saying that a new poll this week found 40.5 percent of Americans approving of the president's job and 55.5 percent disapproving.
"He said that this meant Trump is less popular than Joe Biden was at a comparable point in his first term (-11.5 net approval) and less popular than the president himself was during his first term (-12 net approval.)," per Newsweek.