-18 net approval rating: Trump’s favorability rating declined three points to 39% and the share of U.S. adults who have an unfavorable view of him increased two points to 57% compared to last week in an Economist/YouGov survey of 1,567 U.S. adults conducted Sept. 12-15 (margin of error 3.6).
The results represent an 11-point decline in Trump’s 50% favorability rating at the start of his term, according to Economist/YouGov polling.
-6 net approval rating: Trump’s job performance improved one point, to 46%, in Morning Consult’s weekly survey compared to the previous week, while his disapproval rating stayed stagnant at 52% (the poll of 2,204 registered U.S. voters was conducted Sept. 12-14 and has a margin of error of 2).
The poll found the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk is the top story of 2025, with 67% of voters saying they’ve seen, read or heart “a lot” about it, according to Morning Consult, well above hundreds of other news events Morning Consult has asked about this year.
-14: On par with two other polls this week, Trump had a 42% approval rating in the latest Reuters/Ipsos survey conducted Sept. 5-9, while 56% disapproved, representing a two-point increase from the groups’ August poll in his disapproval rating and a two-point uptick in his approval rating (the poll of 1,084 U.S. adults has a margin of error of 3).
-7: Trump’s approval rating declined one point from last week, to 45%, tied with his record low since taking office, according to Morning Consult’s weekly survey that found 52% disapprove of his job performance (the poll of 2,201 registered voters conducted Sept. 6-8 has a margin of error of 2).
-12: Trump’s approval rating ticked up two points from July, to 44%, while his disapproval rating declined two points, to 56%, in the latest CBS/YouGov poll of 2,385 U.S. adults conducted Sept. 3-5 (margin of error 2.5).
The poll found the majority of respondents, 58%, oppose sending the National Guard to other cities outside of Washington, D.C., as Trump has threatened, though the sentiment is split along party lines, with 85% of Republicans in favors, compared to 7% of Democrats.
-14: A total of 41% of respondents in The Economist/YouGov weekly survey approve of Trump’s job performance, compared to 55% who disapprove, representing a one-point dip in his disapproval rating from last week, while his approval rating was unchanged (the Aug. 29-Sept. 2 poll of 1,691 U.S. adults has a 3.4-point margin-of-error).
-7: Trump’s approval rating declined one point from last week, to 46%, in Morning Consult’s weekly survey, while his 51% disapproval rating remained stagnant—as Americans’ views of his job performance have yet to bounce back from a post-“Liberation Day”decline from his 52% approval rating at the start of his second term, which is consistent with his record-high approval rating in March of his first term (this week’s survey of 2,202 registered voters was conducted Aug. 29-31 and has a two-point margin of error).
-18: Trump’s approval rating dipped three points, to 37%, and his disapproval rating ticked up one point, to 55%, in Quinnipiac University’s Aug. 21-25 poll of 1,220 registered voters (margin of error 3.4), compared to the group’s July survey.
The majority, 56%, oppose Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., though they’re starkly divided along party lines, with 86% of Republicans supporting the move, while 93% of Democrats and 61% of independents are against it.
-8: Trump’s approval rating ticked up five points, to 45%, and his disapproval rating declined five points, to 53%, in an Aug. 21-25 Associated Press/NORC poll, compared to the group’s July poll (the latest survey of 1,182 adults has a margin of error of 3.8).
The poll is the latest to show the majority of respondents from both parties, for a total of 81%, say crime in large cities is a “major concern,” even as violent crime declined 4.5% nationwide last year, according to FBI data, though fewer voters—53%—approve of Trump’s handling of crime, while 55% say it is “completely” or “somewhat” unacceptable for the federal government to take control of local police departments as Trump has done in Washington, D.C., and threatened to do in other major cities.
-16: Trump’s approval rating improved three points from July, to 40%, in Gallup’s monthly survey, while his disapproval rating declined two points to 56% (the latest survey of 1,094 U.S. adults was conducted Aug. 1-20 and has a margin of error of 4).
-4: Trump’s approval rating in the most recent Morning Consult poll was consistent with its survey last week that found 47% approve of his job performance and 51% disapprove, higher than his 45% approval rating before his Washington, D.C. crime crackdown (the Aug. 22-24 poll of 2,200 registered voters has a 2-point margin of error).
-2: A total of 47% approve of Trump’s job performance and 49% disapprove in the most recent Harvard CAPS/Harris poll of 2,025 registered voters taken Aug. 20-21 (margin of error 2.2), the same approval rating he received in the groups’ July poll.
More than half of voters (54%) say Trump’s federal takeover of the Washington, D.C. police and his deployment of federal troops there is justified, as 56% of voters also said they view typical large American cities as unsafe, according to the Harvard CAPS/Harris poll.
-14: Trump’s 40% approval rating in the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll taken Aug. 13-18 is equal to his approval rating in the previous Reuters/Ipsos poll taken in late July, representing a low point for his second term, though his disapproval rating has increased two points from July, to 54% (the August poll has a two-point margin of error).
The Reuters/Ipsos poll—taken after Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin but before his sitdown with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Aug. 18—found 54%, including one in five Republicans, say Trump is too closely aligned with Russia as Trump left the meeting supporting Putin’s call for an end to the war, instead of a cease-fire, and backed off his promise to impose consequences on Russia if it did not agree to a cease-fire.
-4: Morning Consult’s weekly survey found Trump’s approval rating has improved two points since last week, to 47%, while 51% disapprove of his job performance (the Aug. 15-18 survey of 2,201 registered voters has a two-point margin of error).
In a contrast with this week’s Reuters/Ipsos poll, voters’ perception of Trump’s foreign policy has improved from -18 net approval last week to -13 net approval in this week’s Morning Consult poll.
-12: Trump’s net approval rating improved slightly in the latest Economist/YouGov survey conducted Aug. 9-11, compared to its Aug. 1-4 poll, with the latest findings showing 42% approve of his job performance and 54% disapprove, a two-point uptick (the latest poll of 1,635 U.S. adults has a margin of error of 3.5).
-6: Trump’s approval rating was stagnant for the second week in a row at a 45% record low for his second term in Morning Consult’s latest weekly survey, with 51% disapproving of his job performance, a one-point decrease in his disapproval rating from the week prior (the poll of 2,200 registered voters was conducted Aug. 8-10 and has a margin of error of 2).
-14: The president’s net approval rating increased 0.4 points from last week, with 41% approving and 55% disapproving in an Economist/YouGov survey of 1,702 U.S. adults conducted Aug. 1-4 (margin of error 3) that shows the public continues to have a negative perception of the controversy surrounding the federal government’s handling of its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
The Economist/YouGov survey found 68% of respondents said they believe the government is covering up evidence it has about Epstein, while 60% disapprove of the Trump administration’s handling of the controversy—which stems from the Justice Department’s decision announced last month that it would not release additional details of its probe into Epstein.
-20: Trump’s approval rating declined to 38% and his disapproval rating increased to 58% in a UMass poll of 1,000 respondents released July 25-30 (margin of error 3.5), compared to 44%/51% in the group’s April poll.
Trump’s approval rating on all four issues both the April and July UMass polls asked about—inflation, immigration, jobs and civil rights—declined, with immigration dropping the most points (nine).
-3: Trump’s approval rating dipped two points, to 45%, in Morning Consult’s weekly poll of 2,201 registered U.S. voters conducted Aug. 1-3 (margin of error 2), while 42% disapproved.
Monday’s rating is significantly better than Trump’s -15 net approval rating Morning Consult found at this point in his first term, when 40% of voters approved and 55% disapproved of his job performance.
-15: Trump’s rating remained mostly unchanged in The Economist/YouGov’s weekly survey out Tuesday compared to last week’s poll, with 40% approving of his job performance and 55% disapproving, according to the poll of 1,577 U.S. adults conducted July 25-28 (margin of error 3)—a one-point decline in his approval rating from last week, though his disapproval rating remained stagnant.
-3: The president’s approval rating increased two points, to 47%, and his disapproval rating declined two points, to 50% in Morning Consult’s weekly survey of 2,202 registered U.S. voters conducted July 25-27 (margin of error 2) compared to last week’s poll.
The last time Trump had a net positive approval rating in Morning Consult’s poll was in March.
-21: Trump’s 37% approval rating is down from 47% in January, while 58% disapprove of his job performance, compared to 48% in January, according to a July 7-21 Gallup poll of 1,002 adults (margin of error 4).
Trump’s average approval rating for the second quarter of his second term, April 20-July 19, is 40% in Gallup polling, compared to a 39% average in the second quarter of his first term but below second-term averages for every post-World War II president.
-14: Trump’s approval rating is unchanged from last week in the latest Economist/YouGov survey of 1,729 U.S. adults taken July 18-21 (margin of error 3.4), with 41% approving of his job performance and 55% disapproving, compared to a 49% approval rating and 43% disapproval rating at the start of his term, according to Economist/YouGov polling.
An overwhelming majority, 81% of respondents, said the government should release all documents related to its probe into Epstein, while 69% said they believe the government is covering up evidence about Epstein, and 56% disapprove of Trump’s handling of the Epstein investigation.
-16: A total of 42% approve of Trump’s job performance, while 58% disapprove in a new CNN/SSRS poll of 1,057 respondents conducted July 10-13 (margin of error 3.5), representing a one-point improvement in Trump’s approval rating since April and a one-point drop in his disapproval rating.
The majority, 61%, of Americans said they oppose Trump’s signature policy bill that would pay for tax breaks and additional border security, among other measures, in part, by cutting Medicaid, while 39% said they approve of the so-called megabill.
-14: Trump’s net approval rating dipped to its lowest point of his second term in Economist/YouGov polling, with 41% approving and 55% disapproving, according to the survey of 1,506 registered voters (margin of error 3.1)—consistent with his lowest approval rating of his first term, according to Economist/YouGov polling.
-3: Trump’s approval rating improved two points, to 47%, while his disapproval rating also improved two points, to 50%, in Morning Consult’s weekly survey of 2,201 registered voters with a two-point margin of error.
-16: Trump’s approval rating stands at 40% in a Yahoo/YouGov poll of 1,597 U.S. adults conducted June 26-30 (margin of error 3.2), a four-point decrease from the groups’ March poll, while 56% disapprove.
Trump’s -16 net approval rating is three points worse than it was at this point during his first term, according to YouGov data, while former President Barack Obama had a +14 net approval rating and former President Joe Biden had a +7 approval rating halfway through their first years in office.
43%. That’s Trump’s average approval rating so far during his second term, slightly higher than his 41% average approval rating throughout the duration of his first term, according to Gallup.
Trump’s crime crackdown in Washington, D.C., has dominated headlines in recent weeks as he’s deployed the National Guard there and used his authority under the city’s Home Rule Act to exert federal control over the Metropolitan Police Department. Trump also met with Putin on Aug. 15 for the first time in six years as he seeks to negotiate an end to the Russia-Ukraine war. Among other major moments in Trump’s second term: his base broke with him over the Justice Department’s announcement in July that it would not release documents detailing its investigation into Epstein, he launched a military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities in June and Congress approved his signature policy legislation that will enact some of his most significant campaign promises, including an extension of his 2017 tax cuts and tighter border control. Trump’s approval rating has declined since the start of his term, with a notable plunge coinciding with his wide-ranging “Liberation Day” tariffs he announced on April 2 against nearly all U.S. trading partners, though he has largely backed off most of the levies. Prior to the Epstein controversy, the leak of U.S. military attack plans to Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was widely considered the first big crisis of Trump’s second term. His efforts to slash the federal workforce with the help of the then-Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency and his mass deportation push are two other controversial hallmarks of his administration that have prompted numerous legal actions and questions about the limitations of the executive branch’s authority.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2025/09/17/trump-approval-rating-dips-below-40-in-latest-survey/
