The proportion of Americans who approve of President Donald Trump’s performance in office has fallen to its lowest level since May 22, according to a new poll conducted by conservative-leaning pollster Rasmussen Reports.
Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment via email on Saturday outside of regular office hours.
Why It Matters
Trump’s approval rating is a key metric in recording how the American public views his presidency and is likely to have a significant impact on the November 2026 midterm elections where Democrats are hoping to overturn the Republican Party’s narrow control over the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
What To Know
Rasmussen Reports is conducting daily opinion approval surveys for Trump, with 300 likely voters polled each day on what they think of the president’s actions. These results are reported over a five-day rolling average basis, with the full 1,500 likely voter survey having a plus or minus 2.5 percent margin of error.
No poll was conducted on Friday due to the Fourth of July holiday, with the most recent survey result being published on Thursday, July 3. In that poll, 49 percent of those surveyed approved of Trump’s performance in office against 48 percent who disapproved. This gave Trump a net approval rating of +1, though the pollster noted that only 36 percent “strongly” approved while 41 percent “strongly” disapproved of Trump’s performance.
Trump’s Thursday score of 49 percent was his lowest “total approval” figure from Rasmussen Reports’ daily polling since May 22, when it also sat at 49 percent. The last time Trump’s approval fell under this figure was on April 30, when it was 48 percent.
Overall Trump’s performance was worse on May 22 when 49 percent of voters also disapproved of his actions, giving him a net approval rating of zero. On April 30, 50 percent of voters disapproved of Trump’s performance, giving him a net rating of -2.
By contrast, Rasmussen Reports’ polls found 52 percent of likely American voters approved of Trump’s conduct on June 25 and 53 percent did on June 13.
Rasmussen Reports has a track record of working for conservative politicians and causes and was described as “right-wing” and “more favorable for Republican candidates and issues” by The Washington Post, though the pollster insists its surveys are free and impartial.
A recent survey by Civiqs, a rival pollster, found that out of 50 states sampled, Trump had a net positive approval rating in 21 and a net negative in 29. Civiqs received 35,929 responses for its survey.
Nationally, a poll of 1,590 U.S. adults conducted by YouGov for The Economist between June 20 and 23 found Trump had a net approval rating of -14.
A separate YouGov/Yahoo poll of 1,597 adults conducted over June 26 to 30 found Trump’s net approval with Gen Z voters had fallen to -41 percentage points, a deterioration from -23 percentage points in May.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/GETTY
What People Are Saying
Dafydd Townley, a U.S.-focused political scientist at the University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom, told Newsweek: “The Big Beautiful Bill could prove costly to the Republican Party if the promised tax cut benefits are not felt universally. Concerns over Medicaid and the closure of rural hospitals are also unlikely to be welcomed but Republicans in close-fought districts.”
He added: “While there is likely to be some pushback against the incumbent party, the Republicans have a tiny majority in the House and will be determined to minimize this. If the House does flip to the Democrats in 2026, there will undoubtedly be two years of political stalemate as it’s unlikely there will be any bipartisan collaboration, much like the last two years of the first Trump administration.”
What Happens Next?
On Friday, Trump signed his “Big Beautiful Bill,” a major taxation and spending package, into law. This includes tax cuts, increased funding for the military and border security and reduced spending on Medicare.
It remains to be seen how this will impact the president’s popularity.
