- Concerns about the cost of living are rising as gasoline prices rise after the war with Iran.
- Representatives’ support for Trump remains high, but many disapprove of his response.
- Independent voters are leaning Democratic for the midterm elections, and many are still undecided.
President Donald Trump’s approval rating sank to the lowest level of his current term, as Americans grew increasingly bitter over his handling of the cost of living and an unpopular war with Iran, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.
The four-day poll, completed on Monday, showed that 34% of Americans approve of Trump’s performance in the White House, up from 36% in an earlier Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted April 15-20.
Most of the responses were gathered before Saturday night’s shooting 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 detained before he could enter a room where Trump was dining, could affect people’s opinion of the American leader. Federal prosecutors have charged the accused shooter with attempting to assassinate the president.
Trump’s standing with the American public has trended downward since he took office in January 2025, when 47% of Americans gave him a thumbs-up.
Its popularity has taken a hit since the United States and Israel launched war against Iran on February 28, causing gasoline prices to spike. Only 22% of 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
Gasoline prices in the United States have risen more than 40% to about $4.18 a gallon since the United States and Israel launched surprise attacks on Iran on February 28, triggering a response that shut down a fifth of the world’s oil trade.
The price increases are weighing heavily on American households and fueling concerns among Trump Republicans that they could lose control of the U.S. 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, according to the Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Independent registered voters, a group that could be decisive in the midterm elections, favored Democrats by 14 points, 34% to 20%, when asked who would get their vote in the congressional elections. One in four said they were still undecided.
Trump won the 2024 presidential election on a promise to lower prices after several years of high inflation irritated 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 weaker economic approval rating.
While the United States’ conflict with Iran has cooled since both sides agreed to a ceasefire earlier this month, threats from Iran are preventing most oil shipments from leaving the Persian Gulf, fueling new increases in energy prices in the United States and around the world as oil reserves dwindle.
Only 34% of Americans approve of the conflict with Iran, down from 36% in mid-April and 38% in mid-March, according to the Reuters/Ipsos poll.
During Trump’s first administration, his popularity hovered around 40% for long periods. The latest reading remains slightly above the lowest point of his first term, which was 33%.
The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, conducted nationally and online, collected responses from 1,269 American adults, including 1,014 registered voters, with a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
