Donald Trump breaks his own record for lowest approval rating

President Donald Trump has hit a new low in The Economist/YouGov polling, with just 33 percent of Americans approving of his job performance. The poll showed Trump's approval falling 3 percentage points from the previous survey and marking his lowest rating since returning to office in 2025. The Economist/YouGov poll was conducted among 1,589 U.S. adults, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points. Trump's net approval rating fell to -29, the lowest recorded by The Economist/YouGov during either of his presidential terms. The previous low was 34 percent approval. The poll showed that negative sentiment toward Trump is considerably stronger than positive sentiment. Just 17 percent of Americans said they strongly approve of his job performance, while 50 percent strongly disapprove, a 33-point gap. Sixty percent said they viewed him as 'not honest and trustworthy.' Another 61 percent said Trump was using his office for personal benefit, while 55 percent believed he was using the Justice Department to target political enemies. Sixty-five percent of respondents said the country was headed in the wrong direction, up 2 points from The Economist/YouGov poll. Only 24 percent said the country was moving in the right direction. The latest Economist/YouGov survey gave Democrats an 8-point advantage over Republicans on the generic congressional ballot. Grant Reeher, a political science professor at Syracuse University, told Newsweek by email that the poll is 'definitely of concern, as we head into the mid-terms.' D. Stephen Voss, a political science professor at the University of Kentucky, told Newsweek that Trump's numbers were 'rock bottom.' 'The one consolation that comes with such low numbers is that modern presidents are better able to weather public disapproval than they were in the 20th Century because many voters dislike both sides,' Voss said. Trump's net approval is now deeply negative among women, white Americans, college graduates and independents. Among independents, just 18 percent approve of his performance, compared with 71 percent who disapprove. Trump's net approval among women has also reached a new low, with 29 percent approving and 66 percent disapproving. Among white Americans, 39 percent approve and 57 percent disapprove. His approval among college graduates stands at 27 percent, compared with 69 percent disapproval. Trump's approval among Hispanic Americans has fallen 10 points in three weeks. According to Economist/YouGov polling, Trump's approval among Hispanics dropped from 37 percent to 31 percent then to 29 percent. It has now fallen to 27 percent in the latest survey, while 66 percent disapprove. Houston told Newsweek that Trump's net approval at a comparable point during his first term was -10, while Biden's was -17. Trump's current -29 net approval is therefore considerably lower than either benchmark.