US
Poll: Trump's approval falls to 33%, Democrats lead ahead of midterms
The Washington Post, ABC News and Ipsos poll shows the lowest level of support for the president, with the cost of living as the top concern.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 18, 2026, 06:01 · Updated 12:20 · 1 min read

In brief
- Only 33% of Americans approve of Trump's job performance, while 66% disapprove.
- Among likely voters, Democrats lead 52% to 44% in the race for the House of Representatives.
- Only 21% approve of how the president is handling the cost of living.
U.S. President Donald Trump's approval rating has fallen to 33 percent, the lowest recorded for him in this poll, according to a joint survey by the Washington Post, ABC News and Ipsos published on Sunday. Two-thirds of respondents, or 66 percent, said they disapprove of his job performance.
The poll was conducted Oct. 9 to 13 among 2,545 American adults through the Ipsos KnowledgePanel, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
An edge for the Democrats
Among likely voters, Democratic candidates for the House of Representatives lead with 52 percent to 44 percent for Republicans. Among independent voters the gap is even wider, 56 to 35 percent, while only 22 percent of independents approve of the president.
The economy remains the administration's weakest point. Only 21 percent of respondents approve of how Trump is handling the cost of living, while 71 percent describe gasoline as unaffordable, compared with 28 percent in February. About 72 percent think the country is headed in the wrong direction.
The results come about two weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, while other national polls have also shown low levels of support for the president.


