Politics
Polls show Trump facing voter discontent on prices and Iran ahead of 2026 midterms
Two polls released Oct. 21 found President Donald Trump’s approval at 36% among likely voters in a New York Times survey and 32% in a CNN poll. The results point to a difficult political climate for Republicans less than two weeks before Election Day.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s approval rating was at or near its lowest point in two polls released Wednesday, with voters expressing dissatisfaction over his handling of living costs and the war in Iran less than two weeks before the 2026 midterm elections.
In a New York Times poll conducted with Siena University, 36% of likely voters approved of Trump’s performance and 59% disapproved. The newspaper said the approval figure was the lowest in its Siena surveys of Trump across his two terms.
A separate CNN poll conducted with SSRS put Trump’s approval at 32%. That was seven percentage points below the last CNN reading before the 2018 midterms, when Democrats gained 41 House seats and took control of the chamber.
The surveys offer a late snapshot of voter sentiment, but they are not election results or guarantees of how voters will behave. Their findings nevertheless suggest that Republican candidates are campaigning amid widespread dissatisfaction with the president’s performance.
The Times survey also showed a close split among white voters without a college degree, a group that has been important to Trump and the Republican Party: 48% approved of his job performance and 46% disapproved. The polling report said Trump had also lost ground among men, younger voters and Hispanic voters compared with gains he made in the 2024 election.
The surveys were released as candidates entered the final stretch before Election Day, with the president’s standing and voters’ views of the economy likely to shape the political environment for races nationwide.