Trump's approval hits record low as Republicans privately blame president for predicted midterm bloodbath
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which Trump suggested renaming after himself on the eve of midterm polling day, as voter anger over grocery and gas prices driven by his Iran war and tariffs dominated the final campaign stretch.
With polls now open on midterm election day, Trump's approval rating has sunk to a record low of minus 15 points — his worst figure across either term — with 56% of voters disapproving and 46% strongly disapproving, more than double the 22% who strongly approve. Democrats lead the generic congressional ballot 50% to 43%, and just 17% of Americans give Trump a positive rating on cost-of-living issues. Republicans are privately blaming the president for what is being described as a predicted bloodbath.
Republican voter confidence in their own party has slipped to 68% — down from 82% at the start of 2025 — when asked whether the party is on the right track.
Harry Enten cautioned that the range of outcomes remains wide: if Republicans again outperform their final poll averages by 4.1 points, as they have done in the Trump era, the GOP could still hold the Senate 51-49.
Trump's net approval stands at minus 27 nationally, with the president underwater in 39 states; even Wyoming has seen his numbers collapse 29 points since January 2025.
