- Concerns about cost of living rise as gasoline prices rise after war with Iran.
- Rep support for Trump remains high, but many reject his response.
- Independent voters lean Democratic in midterm elections, with many still undecided.
President Donald Trump’s approval rating sank to the lowest level of his current term as Americans grew increasingly angry at his handling of the cost of living and an unpopular war with Iran, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.
The four-day poll, which closed on Monday, found that 34% of Americans approve of Trump’s performance in the White House, down from 36% in an earlier Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted from April 15-20.
The majority of the responses were collected before the shooting Saturday night at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, where Trump was scheduled to speak. It remains to be seen whether the incident, in which a gunman was stopped before he could enter a hall where Trump was eating, can affect people’s view of the American leader. Federal prosecutors have charged the accused shooter with trying to assassinate the president.
Trump’s standing with the American public has been lower since taking office in January 2025, with 47% of Americans giving him a thumbs up.
His popularity has taken a hit since the US and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28, leading to a spike in petrol prices. Only 22% of poll respondents approved of Trump’s performance on the cost of living, down from 25% in the previous Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Rising gas prices weigh on voters
U.S. gasoline prices have risen more than 40% to around $4.18 per gallon. gallon since the US and Israel launched surprise attacks on Iran on February 28, triggering a response that shut down a fifth of global oil trade.
The price hikes are weighing on American households and raising concerns among Trump’s Republicans that they could lose control of the US Congress in November’s midterm elections.
While a solid majority of Republicans – 78% – still say they support Trump, 41% of the party say they disapprove of his handling of the cost of living, the Reuters/Ipsos poll showed.
Independent registered voters, a group that could be crucial in the midterms, favored Democrats by 14 points, 34% to 20%, when asked who would get their vote in congressional elections. One in four said they were still undecided.
Trump won the 2024 presidential election on promises to bring down prices after years of high inflation that irked his predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden. Now, Trump’s approval rating on the economy — at 27% — is well below any reading he had during his 2017-2021 administration, and also lower than Biden’s weakest economic rating.
While the U.S. conflict with Iran has cooled since the two sides agreed to a ceasefire earlier this month, Iran’s threats are preventing most oil shipments from leaving the Persian Gulf, fueling further increases in U.S. and global energy prices as oil reserves decline.
Only 34% of Americans approve of the US conflict with Iran, down from 36% in mid-April and 38% in mid-March, the Reuters/Ipsos poll showed.
During Trump’s first administration, his popularity hovered around 40% for long stretches. The latest reading is still a touch above his first-term low of 33%.
The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, conducted nationwide and online, gathered responses from 1,269 American adults, including 1,014 registered voters, with a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
