President Donald Trump’s disapproval rating has spiked to a record high of 62%, according to a new poll.
The new data come as midterm elections are exactly six months away. Trump’s approval rating is now 37%, according to the poll conducted by the Washington Post, down from the 39% figure recorded on Feb. 22.
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The 62% disapproval rating is the highest of his two terms in office and just a few percentage points below the disapproval rating for his handling of “the situation with Iran,” which is 66%. Trump said Sunday on Truth Social that the United States will help guide stranded ships out of the Strait of Hormuz in a “humanitarian gesture” called “Project Freedom,” one day after receiving a new peace proposal from Iran. The conflict started on Feb. 28.
Trump’s ratings on the cost of living, the economy, and inflation have also declined significantly since the most recent poll. More than three-fourths of respondents “disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling the cost of living in the U.S.” His approval rating on inflation is 27%, and his rating on the economy has decreased by 7 percentage points since Feb. 22.
When the same question was asked about the economy ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, Republicans had a double-digit advantage.
Trump’s historically high approval rating on the economy has been cited as a core reason for his victory in the 2024 presidential election. Inflation spiked during former President Joe Biden’s term, peaking at 9.1% in June 2022, the highest since 1981.
At the beginning of 2026, inflation held flat for two months at 2.4%, not far off from the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. Inflation then increased to 3.3% in March, with higher gas prices affecting consumers. Trump’s tariff regime throughout his second term has also raised consumer prices.
The term “affordability” has plagued Republicans after tariff-induced price increases were cited as a major reason that Govs. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) and Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) secured victories in the 2025 gubernatorial elections.
When asked who they would favor if House of Representatives elections were held today, registered voters favored Democrats 49%-44%.
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Democrats are also 21 percentage points more likely to say that “voting this fall is more important than previous midterms,” casting doubt on the GOP’s ability to deliver strong turnout from its base. Only 59% of “non-MAGA Republicans” say they “are absolutely certain to vote” in the fall.
This poll was conducted April 24-28 among 2,560 U.S. adults and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. It was conducted in partnership with ABC News and Ipsos. The sample was weighted to match population demographics, 2024 turnout and vote choice, and partisanship.
