Trump has spent years at the helm. But this could be his undoing.
Now Donald Trump’s test results just came back and they don’t look good.
President Trump’s approval rating has fallen to a new low for his second term, matching territory he hit only once before in his first term, as a new Reuters/Ipsos survey shows the ongoing war with Iran and rising prices at the pump taking a toll on public opinion just months before a pivotal midterm election.
Just 33% of respondents in the poll approve of Trump’s job performance, down from 35% the week prior, with 64% disapproving. The last time Trump’s approval fell this low was December 2017, according to Reuters/Ipsos — meaning the current reading ties his career low as commander in chief.
A War Voters Expect To Drag On, And Gas Prices To Match
Eighty percent of those surveyed said they expect the Iran war, which began in February as a mission to dismantle the country’s nuclear weapons program, to continue for an extended period. Iranian moves to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz — a chokepoint for roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply — have rattled energy markets, and national average gas prices have climbed from just under $3 a gallon to over $4 since the fighting started, according to AAA data.
Trump addressed the price spike directly at a law enforcement rally in New York last week, striking a defiant tone. “Remember that when you have to pay a little bit more, $4, it’s okay,” he told the crowd, adding, “I’ll never apologize.” Inflation has ticked up alongside gas prices, with year-over-year Bureau of Labor Statistics data showing a rise from 2.4% in February to 3.4% currently.
White House Points To A Broader Record Of Achievement
The White House pushed back on the idea that the numbers reflect a referendum on the administration as a whole, pointing instead to a wider set of policy wins. “President Trump has signed the largest middle-class tax cuts in history, lowered the cost of prescription drugs, sealed the border, driven violent crime to the lowest level in nearly a century, unleashed an energy revolution, and sent Americans’ 401(k)s climbing to record highs,” White House spokesperson Olivia Wales told Fox News Digital. “President Trump is cleaning up Joe Biden’s mess and there is more work to do, but the United States of America has never been stronger.”
The White House did not offer a target date for concluding the Iran war when asked by Fox News Digital.
Democrats Look To Capitalize Ahead Of November
Only 35% of Americans support the war itself, according to the same Reuters/Ipsos survey, and Democrats have moved to make both the conflict and affordability central pillars of their push to retake the House and Senate this fall. Whether that strategy gains traction may hinge on how the war and gas prices trend over the coming months — and on whether Republicans can keep the midterm conversation focused instead on the party’s own internal turmoil over its rising socialist wing, a storyline that has dominated headlines from Michigan to Florida in recent weeks.
