President Donald Trump has hit record-low approval ratings of 32 percent among U.S. adults with CNN/SSRS, and 36 percent among likely voters with The New York Times/Siena University poll as the midterms enter the home stretch.
The findings come as Democrats hold double-digit national advantages in congressional ballot measures across both pollsters, while Republicans fight to preserve their congressional majorities on November 3.
On the separate congressional ballot question, Democrats lead Republicans by 10 points among registered voters in CNN/SSRS, 49 percent to 39 percent; and 11 points among likely voters in The New York Times/Siena University poll, 52 percent to 41 percent.
National generic-ballot figures measure the overall political climate, not the outcomes of particular states or districts.
However, the economic discontent recorded across both polls creates a difficult closing environment for candidates in competitive House and Senate races, with The New York Times/Siena University also finding widespread dissatisfaction over gasoline prices.
Midterm elections have historically punished the president’s party, and Trump’s approval rating with CNN is seven points below his standing immediately before the 2018 vote.
Republicans therefore enter the final days of campaigning with less favorable national conditions than they faced eight years ago.
CNN/SSRS polling found that 55 percent of Americans said the country was generally doing well before the 2018 midterms, while 69 percent rated economic conditions as good, compared with 30 percent and 26 percent, respectively, in its latest survey.
The White House has defended Trump’s political standing, portraying him as the Republican Party’s most effective messenger despite the record-low approval results.
Spokesman Davis Ingle described the president as the GOP’s “best messenger” and “unmatched motivator” in a previous emailed statement to Newsweek, crediting his administration with economic and policy achievements as Republicans seek to retain control of Congress.
Newsweek emailed the White House for further comment on Thursday morning.
Key Details From the Polls
- More than two-thirds of independents rejected Trump’s performance in the Times/Siena survey.
- CNN found that roughly six in 10 voters considered their ballot a message about the president, with opposition outweighing support by two to one.
- Democratic gains coexist with public skepticism: CNN found 22 percent believed a change in congressional control would make no difference.
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CNN Finds Economic Discontent Eroding Trump’s Base
CNN’s latest survey put presidential approval one point beneath its previous low.
SSRS questioned a random national sample of 1,701 adults from October 15 to 18, including 1,206 registered voters, through online interviews or telephone calls with a live interviewer.
Its sampling error was plus or minus 2.9 percentage points for all adults and 3.3 points for registered voters.
Economic judgments explain much of the movement.
Only 27 percent approved of Trump’s handling of the economy and 23 percent backed his performance on inflation, while two-thirds said his policies had made conditions worse.
Signs of erosion also appeared inside groups central to his coalition.
Approval among Republicans stood at 74 percent, down from 88 percent in February 2025, while white adults without college degrees divided 45 percent approving to 55 percent disapproving.
Times Finds Household Pressures Driving Trump’s New Low
Times/Siena found 36 percent of likely voters approving and 59 percent disapproving, its worst result for Trump.
The survey interviewed 3,494 voters from October 12 to 19, mostly by cell phone with live interviewers, and carried a sampling error of plus or minus 1.9 percentage points for both likely and registered voters.
Household pressures dominated the findings.
Disapproval reached 69 percent on the cost of living, 65 percent on the Iran war and 73 percent on gasoline prices.
Voters consequently trusted Democrats more on health care by 20 points, living costs by 15, gas prices by 14 and the economy by eight.
Yet Republican loyalty remained substantial: 82 percent of GOP voters approved of the president.
That resilience means poor national numbers do not automatically translate into uniform losses across conservative territory.
Paul Gettings, a 62-year-old Republican from Simi Valley, California, who lost his logistics job in June, spoke to the Times about the poll's findings.
After supporting Trump in 2024, he said he intended to vote Democrat because of gasoline prices, the Iran conflict, and immigration enforcement.
“I’m very disillusioned with the Republican Party and how they can continue to support Trump,” Gettings told the Times. “He’s turned into a politician just like the rest of them, and it’s a lot of empty promises.”
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Six Senate Races To Watch
Whether those national headwinds cost Republicans their Senate majority will depend on six closely watched state contests.
Iowa: Democrat state Representative Josh Turek, a two-time Paralympic gold medalist in wheelchair basketball, is competing against Republican Representative Ashley Hinson, a former television journalist.
The retirement of Republican Senator Joni Ernst created an open seat in a state Trump carried by 13 points in 2024, yet late polling indicates neither candidate has broken clear of the other.
Texas: Democrat state Representative James Talarico, a former public-school teacher, is challenging Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton for the seat held by retiring Senator John Cornyn.
No Democrat has won statewide in Texas since 1994, but economic unease, Paxton’s divisive profile and unprecedented campaign spending have transformed a former Republican stronghold into a genuine battleground.
Maine: Republican Senator Susan Collins is seeking a sixth term against Democrat Troy Jackson, a former state legislative leader and fifth-generation logger from rural Aroostook County.
Collins remains the only Republican senator representing a state won by the Democrat presidential nominee in 2024, while Jackson entered the general election unusually late after replacing the party’s original nominee.
Michigan: Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, a physician and former Detroit public-health director, faces Republican former Representative Mike Rogers for the seat being vacated by Senator Gary Peters.
El-Sayed is emphasizing affordability, health care, and his Muslim faith, while Rogers, a former FBI agent and House Intelligence Committee chairman, is making his second consecutive attempt to win a Michigan Senate seat after losing narrowly in 2024.
Ohio: Former Democrat Senator Sherrod Brown is attempting an immediate comeback against Republican Senator Jon Husted, who was appointed after J.D. Vance became vice president.
Brown lost his seat in 2024 but is again leaning on his working-class identity in a state that has moved sharply toward Republicans, making the special election a test of whether a familiar candidate can outrun Ohio’s recent partisan realignment.
Alaska: Democrat former Representative Mary Peltola is trying to unseat two-term Republican Senator Dan Sullivan in a state where personal reputation can matter as much as party label.
Fisheries, fuel costs, and the Iran war have shaped the campaign, while Alaska’s ranked-choice system and two additional candidates on the ballot create uncertainty over whether either frontrunner can secure an immediate majority.
Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate advantage, meaning Democrats need a net gain of four seats for an outright majority.
That makes these contests central to the party’s path, but their different electorates, candidates and voting systems mean the national environment will not affect each one equally.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: John Fitzpatrick and Paul Donnelley.