Trump approval hits new low ahead of midterms: poll
President Donald Trump's approval rating has dropped to a new low in a recent American Research Group poll, with just 30% of Americans approving of his job performance as the 2026 midterm elections approach.
The survey, conducted June 16–20 among 1,100 respondents (plus or minus 3 percentage points), found 66% disapprove of Trump, the highest disapproval and lowest approval ever recorded by the pollster during either of his presidencies.
Among those who disapprove of Trump, economic pessimism is widespread: 82% say they expect conditions to worsen over the next year, according to the poll.
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle dismissed the findings in a statement to USA TODAY, pointing instead to Trump's 2024 reelection victory as the "ultimate poll."
Approval and economic woes
The polling numbers, released on June 22 come only days after Trump saw similar low marks in a poll released by PBS News/NPR/Marist on June 18. That poll saw the president's approval rating sitting at 39%, the lowest of his second administration, according to Marist.
Americans have also continued to sour on Trump's economy. According to the newest poll, only 26% of Americans approve of Trump's handling of the economy, while 70% disapproved.
That same economic discontent was evident in Marist's poll on June 18, in which 60% of Americans said they disapproved of Trump's economic performance.
Earlier this month, Trump brushed off concerns over the sharp increase in consumer prices across the United States, saying, "I love the inflation."
His comments were in response to a question about the Labor Department's latest consumer price index, which found prices were up 4.2% in May over the previous year. It was the first time inflation climbed above 4% since 2023, marking the largest increase in three years.
"No, I love it. The numbers were great. You know what I really love? I love the inflation. You know why?" Trump said on June 10. "Because as soon as this war is over ‒ you know, I can say it now, something you didn't know."
What is Trump's approval average?
Trump's approval rating has been net negative for more than a year and has been fluctuating but trending more negative over the past several months. Here is Trump's average approval rating, according to aggregators:
- RealClearPolitics Poll Average, as of June 23: 40.3% approve, 57.3% disapprove
- New York Times, as of June 23: 38% approve, 58% disapprove
- Silver Bulletin, as of June 23: 38.8% approve, 58.1% disapprove
Kinsey Crowley contributed to this report.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump approval hits new low ahead of midterms: poll
Reporting by Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY / USA TODAY
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect
This story was originally published June 23, 2026 at 6:14 PM.