New poll results released Wednesday by Quinnipiac University show that President Donald Trump’s approval rating has hit its lowest point yet for his second term in office. His approval rating on the economy has hit its lowest level for either of his terms so far.
Just 34%of the poll participants approved of how Trump is handling his job, compared to 58% who disapproved. An even smaller percentage, 33%, approved of the way he’s handling the economy, compared to 64% who disapproved.
Poll trackers from both The Economist and Nate Silver’s Silver Bulletin also reported low approval ratings for the president as of Wednesday. According to The Economist, “his handling of the economy that is really dragging him down,” and the Silver Bulletin said “net approval of Trump’s handling of inflation and the cost of living is down to -41.8.”
In Quinnipiac’s poll, Republicans were more likely to approve of the way Trump is handling the economy at 73% compared to Democrats’ 1% approval and independents’ 27% approval. Quinnipiac’s polling also found that the economy was the most urgent issue facing poll participants out of 10 issues they were asked about.
Gas prices have been going up since Trump announced that the U.S. had joined Israel to attack Iran, conflict that has resulted in a block of the Strait of Hormuz, and 45% of the Quinnipiac poll participants said they find it difficult to afford gas. Quinnipiac polling from last December found that just 29% of recipients had a difficult time affording gas.
“Voters were asked how much they blame Donald Trump for the recent rise in gasoline prices, 55% say a lot, 17% say some, 11% say not much, and 16% say not at all,” per the most recent poll, Quinnipiac said. Only 38% support the U.S. military action against Iran, down from 40% in April.
Stress about prices is impacting more than just people filling up their cars, according to the results. More than half (54%) of respondents said they cut back on dining out, 49% said they cut back on leisure activities, 48% said they cut back on vacation plans and 43% said they cut back on grocery shopping.
While Americans’ negative view of the economy under Trump is driving down his approval rating, Quinnipiac’s polling also found approval of the president was low in other areas as well. For example, just 40% approved of his handling of immigration issues (following the Operation Metro Surge enforcement in Minnesota that resulted in the deaths of two U.S. citizens at the hands of federal officers), 26% of his handling of trade and 35% approve of how Trump is handling foreign policy.
With the midterm elections coming up in November, Trump’s falling approval rating could be trouble for GOP candidates. According the Quinnipiac results, 50% of voters would want to see the Democratic Party win control of the U.S. House of Representatives compared to 39% who want the GOP to win the House. That’s even as just 20% of voters approve of the way the Democrats in Congress are handling their job, nearing an all-time low recorded by Quinnipiac last year.
“Half of voters (50%) think Democrats in Congress should be doing more to stand up to President Trump, while 42% think Democrats in Congress should be doing more to work with him,” Quinnipiac noted.
The Economist’s forecasting model also indicates that the Democrats have a nine-in-10 chance of winning control of the House of Representatives, while control of the Senate is a toss-up. It said that Trump’s moves to purge members of the GOP who aren’t loyal to him, such as Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) might be a problem for the Republican party.
