Trump approval falls to 31% in Reuters/Ipsos poll before midterms
A four-day survey found the lowest approval rating of either of Donald Trump’s presidential terms in the poll, alongside a 12-point Democratic lead on a national congressional ballot question.
President Donald Trump’s approval rating fell to 31% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed on October 19, 2026, as voters in the United States approached the November 3 congressional elections. The reading was the lowest of either of his presidential terms in that poll; registered voters also favored Democrats over Republicans by 12 points on a national question about which party they would choose for Congress.
The approval figure was one percentage point lower than two weeks earlier. On the congressional question, 47% of registered voters chose Democrats and 35% chose Republicans. Reuters said the Democratic advantage was the widest in the current election cycle, raising the stakes for Republicans seeking to retain control of the House of Representatives and Senate.
How the Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted
The four-day online survey collected responses from 1,679 US adults, including 1,279 registered voters. Reuters reported a margin of error of two percentage points for all respondents and three points for registered voters. The approval change from two weeks earlier is smaller than the stated margin of error for the full sample.
Reuters reported concern about high gasoline prices among Americans as the elections neared. The poll results describe voters’ views at the time of the survey; they do not establish that fuel prices caused the change in Trump’s approval rating.
Other polls show Democratic leads before November 3
Separate surveys reported by AFP also put Trump’s approval in the low 30s. A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll published October 18 placed it at 33%, while an NBC News poll released the same day put it at 34%. Likely voters favored Democrats by eight points on the congressional question in the Post-ABC poll; registered voters favored them by 10 points in the NBC poll.
The Guardian reported that 75% of respondents in the Post-ABC survey rated economic conditions as ‘not so good’ or ‘poor’. It also reported that 66% believed Trump was using the presidency for monetary gain, including 34% of Republicans. Those findings describe respondents’ perceptions, rather than establishing misconduct.
National party preferences provide a broad measure of sentiment but cannot be converted directly into congressional seats. House races are decided district by district and Senate races state by state. Reuters noted that Republicans have structural advantages in some of those contests; AFP also cautioned that national polls can miss election results by several points. Losing either chamber would make it harder for Trump to advance his agenda during the final two years of his term.
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Sources and context
- Trump approval falls to record low of 31% as midterms near, Reuters/Ipsos poll findsReuters, republished by The Straits Times
- Most Americans think Trump is using presidency to enrich himself, poll findsThe Guardian
- Donald Trump rallies on Republican turf as midterm fears mountThe Hindu (AFP byline)
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.