President Trump’s approval rating is down to the lowest point of his second term, with high costs and the Iran war dragging down his popularity, a key poll says.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll this week found that 36% of Americans approve of Mr. Trump’s performance, down from 40% last week.
The president’s popularity stood at 47% in this survey at the start of his term, then fell to around 40% during the summer.
Only a quarter of Americans approved of Mr. Trump’s handling of the cost of living.
Affordability concerns played a key role in Mr. Trump’s 2024 victory and will be front and center in this year’s midterms.
While inflation has cooled under Mr. Trump, voters complain that utility prices and other costs remain high. The average price of a gallon of gas is nearing $4, up from below $3 a month ago, as Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz drives up oil prices.
Mr. Trump joined forces with Israel to begin bombarding Iran on Feb. 28, hoping to dismantle its missile program and nuclear ambitions while diminishing its support for terror proxies in the Middle East.
The new poll, released late Tuesday, found 35% of Americans approve of U.S. strikes on Iran, down from 37% last week. About six in 10 people (61%) disapproved of the strikes, compared to 59% the prior week.
Mr. Trump is retaining his support within the GOP, with only one in five Republicans saying they disapprove of his performance.
However, the share of Republicans who disapprove of his handling of the cost of living rose from 27% last week to 34%.
Reuters/Ipsos pollsters said congressional Republicans have not felt the downstream effects of Mr. Trump’s sagging approval.
The survey found 38% of registered voters believe Republicans are the better stewards of the U.S. economy, compared to 34% who selected Democrats on this issue.
The four-day poll of 1,272 adults closed Monday and had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
