Trump's Approval Ratings Fall as Prices Rise

When voters feel the pinch at the gas pump and the grocery store, presidents feel it in the polls. That connection has never been clearer than in the latest nationwide survey, which shows public confidence in President Donald Trump's economic leadership sinking to the lowest point of either of his two terms in office.

A new poll, conducted among 1,340 adults, found that just 36 percent of Americans approve of Trump's overall job performance, while 59 percent disapprove. That 23-point gap is the largest he has faced across both of his presidencies. 

The numbers on the economy are even bleaker. Only one-third of Americans — 33 percent — say they approve of how Trump is handling the economy. 

A Broad and Deepening Dissatisfaction

The poll's findings cut across nearly every corner of the American electorate, spanning generations, income levels, and groups that were central to Trump's 2024 election victory.

Among independent voters — the group that most often decides close elections — 64 percent say they disapprove or strongly disapprove of Trump's performance, a figure unchanged from April's survey. Democrats disapprove at a rate of 94 percent. Even within his own party, cracks are showing: 22 percent of Republicans say they disapprove of how Trump is handling the economy, and the share of Republicans who strongly approve of his overall job performance fell from 61 percent in April to 53 percent in June.

The erosion also runs through demographic groups Trump has long relied on. Approval among Gen Z voters stands at just 25 percent, while Gen X comes in at 36 percent. Americans with household incomes below $50,000 per year — a group that has historically responded to Trump's economic messaging — now approve at just 34 percent, a continued decline from prior polls. White Americans without a college degree, one of his strongest constituencies, show only one-third approval on the economy, down from nearly half in April 2025.

Rural voters, who backed Trump by 30 points in 2024, now give him a net approval rating of -10 points on his overall job performance — a dramatic reversal from his net positive of +22 points in February 2025. Latinos disapprove of his performance by roughly a 2-to-1 margin.

The poll's numbers come to life in the stories of real voters. Regina Kulenga, a 36-year-old Trump voter from Georgia, stated she wasn't sure she'd vote in the midterm elections and described Trump's actions since returning to office as a "slap in the face."

"The economy is suffering a lot right now, and I just feel like a lot of the things that he did promise, you know, we're still waiting," she said. 

Approval Ratings Driving the Numbers

The clearest culprit is the cost of everyday life. More than three-quarters of Americans say gas prices are straining their household budgets. Gas prices, which reached a national average high of $4.48 in May according to AAA, remain a major source of economic anxiety — particularly for Americans in rural areas and small towns who drive more and have fewer transportation alternatives.

Inflation topped 4 percent for the first time in three years, driven largely by rising gas costs tied to the U.S. conflict with Iran. The ongoing war has disrupted global oil markets, and analysts say its economic ripple effects — including higher prices for goods transported by fuel — will outlast the conflict itself. 

The pain is showing up in how Americans are planning their lives. Forty-five percent say they don't plan to take a summer vacation this year, with about half of those citing cost as the main reason. Two-thirds of all adults say rising prices have had some or a great deal of impact on their summer plans.