Trump approval rating hits record low 31% in Reuters/Ipsos poll before midterms

US President Donald Trump's approval rating has fallen to 31%, the lowest of either of his terms, in a Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed on Monday 19 October, Reuters reported, as carried by ARY News. That is one point down from two weeks earlier, and it comes two weeks before the 3 November congressional midterm elections.

Trump approval rating: the poll in numbers

The online poll ran for four days and surveyed 1,679 US adults, including 1,279 registered voters. Its margin of error is about 2 percentage points for all adults and 3 points for registered voters.

The slide has been steady. In a Reuters/Ipsos poll published on 22 September, Trump's approval fell to 32%, from 35% a week earlier, with only 17% approving of his handling of the cost of living and 34% approving of the strikes on Iran, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported, carrying Reuters. He had 47% approval after his inauguration in January 2025, and Joe Biden's lowest Reuters/Ipsos rating was 35%, in October 2024.

The economy is the problem

The sharpest number for the White House is on the economy. 68% of Americans disapprove of how Trump is handling it, and that includes 37% of people who call themselves Republicans. Asked which party would manage the economy better, 40% said the Democrats and 33% the Republicans.

The US and Israel began military strikes on Iran in February on Trump's orders, and the war pushed up petrol prices and hit household budgets, Reuters noted. Oil is the link Pakistanis feel too: Brent crude was near $110 a barrel on Tuesday, as our Asian markets report noted, and our petrol price page tracks what that means at the pump here.

A widening midterm gap

Among registered voters, Democrats now lead Republicans by 12 points, 47% to 35%, on the question of which party they would back for Congress. That is the widest gap of this election cycle, up from 7 points two weeks ago. Women favoured Democrats by 50% to 32%, and men also leaned Democratic, by a smaller margin.

In September the same gap was 8 points, 43% to 35%, then the biggest Democratic lead in Reuters/Ipsos polling this year. A generic-ballot lead does not turn directly into seats, because Congress is won district by district and state by state, but the gap has kept widening as the vote approaches.

Why it matters in Pakistan

Washington's decisions on Iran, oil and tariffs reach Pakistan through fuel prices and the exchange rate. Follow the dollar on our USD to PKR page, and the midterm results on election night, 3 November US time, which is the morning of 4 November in Pakistan.