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By Sam Stevenson
Associate News Editor
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President Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen to new or matching second‑term lows across four national polls conducted in April, highlighting deepening voter dissatisfaction with the economy and the war in Iran, with one polling expert saying that 15 months into his second term, "his numbers keep getting worse."
Four major national polls released this month show Trump’s job approval either hitting new second‑term lows or matching previously recorded lows as public sentiment remains sour.
The uniform weakness comes as Republicans head toward the 2026 midterms without signs of a rebound in presidential approval.
Read More on Politics
Persistently low approval ratings increase electoral risk for Republicans defending narrow congressional majorities and shape how both parties frame the political landscape.
A White House spokesman said the administration views Trump’s 2024 election victory as the definitive measure of public support, arguing the president has already delivered historic progress on jobs, inflation, and affordability, and is only beginning to implement his agenda.
Why It Matters
Trump’s second term has unfolded amid stubborn inflation, rising fuel prices, and a foreign conflict many Americans increasingly view as a mistake.
Taken together, those pressures appear to be locking public opinion into historically weak territory rather than producing short‑term volatility.
While that dissatisfaction has not fully consolidated into support for Democrats, approval ratings in the low‑to‑mid‑30s are traditionally associated with difficult midterms for the president’s party.
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1. Reuters/Ipsos
New April data from the Reuters/Ipsos presidential approval tracker show Trump matching a second‑term low first recorded in late March, indicating that earlier declines have held rather than reversed.
Reuters/Ipsos polls regularly ask Americans nationwide to weigh in on Trump’s job performance. The polls are conducted online and gather responses from U.S. adults nationwide, with the results displayed in a rolling approval tracker that updates as new data become available.
The latest April reading shows 36 percent of Americans approving of Trump’s job performance and 62 percent disapproving, producing a net approval rating of minus 26 points. That figure matches the lowest level reached in Reuters/Ipsos tracking during Trump’s second term.
That low was first recorded in a separate Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted March 20 to March 23, 2026.
The April poll surveyed 4,557 U.S. adults nationwide and was conducted online, it had a margin of error of 2 percentage points.
Reuters reported that Trump’s sustained weakness has been driven by economic dissatisfaction and opposition to the war he launched on Iran.
In the March poll, nearly 63 percent of Americans described the economy as “somewhat weak” or “very weak,” including 40 percent of Republicans, 66 percent of independents, and 84 percent of Democrats.
“This provides a huge opportunity for Democrats to make major strides in the midterms by focusing on issues that are traditionally more Republican issues, like national security, the economy and immigration,” Democratic strategist Doug Farrar told Reuters.
At the same time, dissatisfaction with Trump has not fully translated into confidence in Democratic governance.
In the survey, 38 percent of registered voters said Republicans were better stewards of the economy, compared with 34 percent who chose Democrats.
Republicans also led on immigration and crime, while Democrats held advantages on health care and women’s rights.
2. Strength In Numbers/Verasight
Another April snapshot came from the Strength In Numbers/Verasight Monthly U.S. Politics Poll, conducted from April 10 to April 14, 2026.
Trump’s job approval in the poll stood at 35 percent, with 61 percent disapproving, for a net rating of minus 26 points.
According to Strength In Numbers editor G. Elliott Morris, that marked a new low since the series began tracking Trump’s second term in May 2025.
Economic pressure was the dominant factor, according to the polling expert.
“Trump has now been in office for about 15 months, and his numbers keep getting worse,” he wrote.
“This deterioration has been driven largely by his handling of the economy and prices.”
Trump’s net approval on prices and inflation fell to minus 46, the worst rating recorded in the history of the poll.
And nearly three‑quarters of respondents disapproved of his handling of prices.
Opinion of the war in Iran was also sharply negative, with 64 percent saying the conflict was not worth the cost, and nearly half saying the U.S. should never have gone to war in the first place.
“Trump’s net approval on prices and inflation has fallen to the worst rating on any single issue in the history of our poll, and a stunning 6-point drop from March’s already record-low -40,” Morris wrote.
The poll surveyed 1,514 U.S. residents aged 18 and older. Results were weighted to match national benchmarks for demographics, partisanship, and past vote. The margin of sampling error was plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.
3. AP‑NORC Center
A separate April survey from the AP‑NORC Center for Public Affairs Research pointed to even deeper disapproval.
AP‑NORC found Trump’s job approval at 33 percent, with 67 percent disapproving, yielding a net approval of minus 34 points. That marked a new second‑term low for this polling series.
Economic indicators were especially bleak. About seven in 10 Americans described the economy as poor, while 72 percent said the country was headed in the wrong direction.
Approval of Trump’s handling of the economy fell to 30 percent, down from 38 percent in March, and just 23 percent approved of his handling of the cost of living.
Although job approval declined, Trump’s personal favorability remained broadly stable, suggesting frustration is increasingly tied to performance rather than personality.
The nationwide poll was conducted April 16 to April 20, 2026, using NORC’s probability‑based AmeriSpeak Panel.
Online and telephone interviews were completed with 2,596 adults. The margin of sampling error was plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.
3. American Research Group
Similar findings emerged from a nationwide American Research Group survey conducted April 16 through April 20, 2026.
The research group found that 32 percent of Americans approved of Trump’s job performance, while 63 percent disapproved, producing a net approval rating of minus 31 points—a new second‑term low.
Assessments of the economy closely mirrored Trump’s overall number, with 31 percent approving of his handling of the economy, and 65 percent disapproving.
Among registered voters, approval stood at 32 percent for both Trump’s job performance and economic stewardship.
Trend data show a steady erosion throughout early 2026, with approval falling from 36 percent in February and 35 percent in January, well below levels recorded last year.
Taken together, the April polls tell a consistent story: Trump’s approval rating remains anchored near second‑term lows, with economic frustration and foreign policy backlash reinforcing one another.
While partisan trust remains divided on who would govern better, the broader environment has grown steadily more challenging for the White House as the midterm cycle approaches.
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