President Donald Trump's approval rating has slipped to a record low for either term, according to a new Fox News Poll. Just 36 percent of those surveyed approve of the job the president is doing as economic concerns plague American households less than three weeks before Election Day.
According to the poll, the decline in Trump's approval mark is due in part to drops among voters under age 45, people without a college degree, non-white voters and those with an annual household income of less than $50,000 a year.
Robert Y. Shapiro, professor of political science and in the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia, told Newsweek in part that the poll "shows how dire the situation is for Republicans, in that whatever Trump has been trying to do to help them is clearly not working."
Midterm elections are commonly viewed as a test of the political environment facing the party in power, and the president's party has historically lost seats during them. Republicans now hold a narrow majority in both the House and Senate.
Meanwhile, the president's overall approval and ranking on specific policy issues like the economy, immigration, jobs and the ongoing war in Iran have slipped as households across America are consistently flagging affordability concerns.
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email on Wednesday night for comment.
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What To Know
Trump's disapproval rating in the new poll is 64 percent, and his approval rating among independents is 22 percent versus a 78 percent disapproval score.
The president landed a 22 percent approval rating on inflation, also a new low, according to the new Fox News Poll. Seventy-four percent rate the economy negatively, the study also shows, as 53 percent say they think it will worsen next year. Nearly 60 percent say the cost of living is their top economic concern as 55 percent say inflation is not at all under control.
Notably, seven in 10 voters say they will vote in this year's midterm election to send a message to Trump. If elections were held today, 54 percent would back the Democratic candidate in the House compared to 45 percent who would support the Republican, according to the poll.
Shapiro also told Newsweek that "Trump's instinct here have been bad in trying to make the election about him. It is about him and that is the problem. What can he do? If prices, especially given the latest report on inflation, are one problem, then deal with the tariffs that are a cause. And also the war in Iran affecting energy prices and the costs of other goods dependent directly or indirectly on oil. And the war as a foreign policy and security issue for which he promised a victory that he could not deliver."
"His low approval rating is the big deal in this election and it may be too late to do anything about that without a late breakthrough in the Iran war or peace in Ukraine," Shapiro said. "To help Republican candidates the best thing he can do is to quietly help provide money--and a lot of it -- to dominate all the media waves and flood the country with Republican campaigners in congressional and Senate races, to mobilize the Republican base and persuade and engage undecided voters," he added in part.
Grant Davis Reeher, professor of political science at Syracuse University, also told Newsweek Wednesday night when asked about the new poll, "Not a big deal from where he was at recently, just a new low by a percentage point or two. Things were looking pretty bleak for the Republicans before; they just got slightly bleaker now, given that midterms are generally reactions to the president."
The poll also shows that voters trust Democrats more than Republicans on the bulk of key issues including healthcare, gas prices, artificial intelligence and foreign policy. Republicans are more trusted on border security, crime and immigration, according to the poll.
The analysis surveyed 1,202 registered voters nationwide from October 9 to October 12 and had an overall margin of error of 2.5 percent.
What Other Polling Shows
A survey from The Economist/YouGov this week showed Trump's overall approval rating at 38 percent versus a 61 percent disapproval rating. The poll surveyed 1,403 U.S. registered voters from October 10 to October 12 and had a margin of error of 3.5 percent.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Trump's approval at 32 percent versus 65 percent disapproval. The poll surveyed 4,506 respondents from September 30 to October 5 and had a 1.5 percent margin of error.
A Pew Research Center poll finds Trump's approval at 30 percent, also a new second-term low, compared to a 68 percent disproval rating. The poll surveyed 5,062 U.S. adults across the country from September 28 to October 4 and had a margin of error of 1.6 percent.
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: Edward T. Cummins