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By Jordan King
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President Donald Trump's approval rating has fallen to a record low with Big Data Poll, a survey that has historically given him some of his strongest numbers, as voters express growing dissatisfaction with the economy, the cost of living and the administration's handling of foreign policy.
In its most recent survey, conducted between May 24 and 27 among 3,121 registered voters, 39.4 percent of respondents said they approved of the job Trump was doing as president—including 19.9 percent who said they strongly approved. Big Data Poll called this a "new low for the president during his second term and the first time he has dipped into the critical 30s."
While polls have been known to underestimate Trump's popularity, with the president outperforming preelection expectations in three presidential campaigns, Big Data Poll has previously showed some of Trump's highest approval ratings—so the record low approval raises questions about whether dissatisfaction with the administration is beginning to extend beyond traditional critics.
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The firm's director, Rich Baris, has historically supported Trump but has become more critical of the president during his second term, namely over his support of Israel and the war in Iran. Last June, Baris warned that it could be "all over for MAGA" if Trump further involved the U.S. in a conflict with the Islamic Republic.
He added in the May polling report, "After a year of voters making themselves clear while granting an unheard-of amount of political grace, Republicans have dug themselves into a massive hole by not heeding their warnings."
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Big Data Poll's May survey reflects a widening divide in the Make America Great Again movement, showing growing disapproval ratings on issues such as the economy, foreign policy and the administration's handling of files related to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
When asked for comment, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told Newsweek: "The ultimate poll was November 5, 2024, when nearly 80 million Americans overwhelmingly elected President Trump to deliver on his popular and commonsense agenda. No other President in history has accomplished more for the American people than President Trump, who is working tirelessly to create jobs, cool inflation, increase housing affordability, and more."
"The President has already made historic progress not only in America but around the world, and this is just the beginning as his agenda continues taking effect," he added.
Trump's All-Time Low Approval Rating
Trump's 39.4 percent approval rating in Big Data Poll's May survey is down from 44.8 percent in January, which was a decline from the 55.5 percent approval rating Big Data Poll gave the president when he returned to office the previous year.
The shift is not confined to the national topline. State-level data suggests Trump’s net approval has deteriorated across much of the country since he returned to office.
Map shows change in Trump’s net approval (approve minus disapprove) by state, comparing January 2025 with May 2026.
According to Civiqs data, several states that were neutral or positive at the start of his second term have shifted negative, reflecting a broader cooling in support beyond national averages.
According to Big Data Poll's May poll, 57.4 percent of registered voters now disapprove of the job the president is doing in office, including 46.2 percent of those who strongly disapprove.
Big Data Poll's "intensity index," which measures the difference between the percentage of those who strongly approve and strongly disapprove, was -26.3—the widest negative gap ever measured by the firm.
"There is now a larger percentage of registered voters who strongly disapprove of the job the president is doing in office than the total percentage of registered voters who approve," the pollster said.
Trump's approval rating is now negative on every individual issue tested by Big Data Poll, which disclaims a margin of error of plus or minus 1.8 percent for registered voters and plus or minus 1.7 percentage points for likely voters.
On the economy and jobs, 38.5 percent said they approved of the job Trump was doing, while 56.9 percent said they disapproved, leaving him 18.4 points underwater on the issue. In January, 46.8 percent had approved and 49.2 percent had disapproved.
On cost of living, 29 percent said they approved, while 66.5 percent said they disapproved (a -37.5 percent spread), down from 38.5 percent who approved in January and up from 48.6 percent who disapproved.
Regarding the war in Iran, 58.3 percent said they disapproved of Trump's handling of the situation, and 33.7 percent said they approved (a -24.6 percent spread). In January, these figures were 48.3 percent and 38.6 percent, respectively.
Big Data Poll reported that 36.5 percent of respondents supported U.S. military strikes in Iran, while 53.4 percent opposed it.
'Voters Have Run Out of Patience'
Baris said in the polling report that "voters have run out of patience with the administration and the majority party."
He also discussed the rise in survey respondents who said they trusted the Democrats to handle the "most important voting issues," including the economy, the cost of living and foreign policy.
However, voters trusted Republicans more than Democrats on immigration and border security, with 42 percent saying they trusted Republicans and 39.1 percent saying they trusted Democrats.
Major MAGA figures have split with Trump this year, including former Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and conservative political commentators Candace Owens, Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly.
Along with other conservative critics, they argue that the president's involvement in foreign countries and his support for Israel are an abandonment of the "America First" philosophy he campaigned on.
Last month, Republican Representative Thomas Massie's primary in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District became a high-stakes proxy war over the future of the Republican Party.
Massie—who had parted with Trump on several issues, including Epstein, Iran and the president's One Big Beautiful Bill Act—faced repeated criticism from Trump and his supporters in the run-up to the primary, while being embraced by Republicans with more libertarian and isolationist views.
The seven-term congressman ultimately lost the primary to Ed Gallrein, whom Trump had endorsed, demonstrating the president's continued influence on voters—even as polling shows a different picture.
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