President Donald Trump is becoming “slightly less unpopular”, Nate Silver has said.
Writing in his Substack blog Silver Bulletin, the statistician and political analyst said that the president’s net approval rating has increased according to recent polling, though only slightly, in the last two weeks.
Why It Matters
Measuring Trump’s approval rating is useful in gauging the mood of the nation and the extent to which his policies are supported by Americans. An improving approval rating might buoy the administration and encourage it to continue its current political direction while – conversely – a negative rating might make it change course.
Cementing public support will be particularly important for the administration when voters head to the polls to vote in the midterm elections next year.
AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana
What To Know
Silver wrote: “Donald Trump has gotten slightly less unpopular over the past couple weeks.” He said that two weeks ago, Trump’s net approval rating was -8.3 percentage points but since then it had increased by 1.4 percentage points, to -6.9.
He added that “this still isn’t much movement” in terms of Trump’s approval rating.
It comes amid recent signs that Trump’s favorability rating is increasing among some groups. According to polling by The Economist/You Gov, the proportion of white voters who support Trump has increased by eight percentage points.
However, other recent polls have shown that Trump’s approval rating has fallen among certain demographic groups. According to polling by The Economist/YouGov, Trump’s net approval rating among Americans with a yearly income of more than $100,000 was at -16 percentage points, down from -10 recorded in July.
Meanwhile, according to polling by ActiVote, Trump’s net approval rating among rural Americans has declined from +22 percentage points in August to +14 points in September.
More broadly, last month, a Quinnipiac poll revealed that the president has a 37 percent approval rating versus a 55 percent disapproval rating, a new low for his second term from that pollster.
Similarly, Trump has fallen to his lowest net approval rating so far, according to Newsweek’s tracker: -11 at the end of August.
What People Are Saying
Speaking to Newsweek, Heath Brown, an associate professor of public policy at City University of New York said that it was: “Hard to take any substantive change away from those numbers.”
“They seem to suggest the president’s popularity remains unchanged,” he added.
President Donald Trump, in an August 24 post on Truth Social, said: “Except what is written and broadcast in the Fake News, I now have the highest poll numbers I’ve ever had, some in the 60’s and even 70’s. Thank you. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”
What Happens Next
Trump’s approval rating will likely fluctuate as his presidency continues. Voters will have their say on the administration when they head to the midterm elections in November 2026.
