Three US polls have shown President Donald Trump’s popularity has fallen to its lowest levels, with Democrats ahead of Republicans before the midterm congressional elections.
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Trump's approval rating was 33% in a Washington Post, ABC News, and Ipsos poll, 34% in an NBC News poll, and 36% in a Fox News poll, which are the lowest or record lows during his second term .
Polls showed Democrats leading Republicans among registered voters by 8 percentage points in a Washington Post poll, 9 points in a Fox News poll, and 10 points in an NBC News poll.
The economy emerged as the most notorious weakness of the US president, with only 21% of those satisfied with his handling of the cost of living in a Washington Post poll and 27% in an NBC News poll, while only 22% supported his handling of inflation in a Fox News poll.
The decline in support extended to Republican voters , with Trump's approval rating among them at 76% in Fox News and NBC News polls, compared to 79% in a Washington Post poll.
A Fox News poll revealed a split within the Republican Party, with 95% of members of the MAGA movement supporting Trump backing him, compared to 47% of non-MAGA Republicans. A Washington Post poll showed that 75% of MAGA supporters were certain they would vote or had already voted, compared to 57% of non-MAGA supporters.
Also, 37% of Republicans and pro-Republican independents expressed a desire for the party leadership to take a different path from Trump, the highest percentage ever recorded for this trend.
A Reuters review on October 7 showed that Republican candidates in 41 of 62 competitive congressional races distanced themselves from Trump's policies or downplayed their ties to him . At least 12 candidates removed his name, image, or endorsement from their websites, while a Politico poll on October 9 found that 26% of those who voted for Trump in 2024 believed that distancing themselves from him could benefit them.
The Associated Press revealed on October 16 that Democrats and their allies have spent more than $163 million since September on television ads mentioning Trump, compared to $11 million for Republicans.
Reuters reported on October 17, citing informed sources, that Trump was criticizing the performance of his election advisers, a claim rejected by White House spokesman Davis Engel, who described the account as "baseless speculation."
Engel told Axios that Trump is "the undisputed leader of the Republican Party, the best messenger of its message, and its unparalleled driving force," and that he is committed to maintaining Republican majorities in Congress . Gates McGovern, communications director for the Donald Trump campaign, said the candidate is proud to endorse Trump, while a White House official denied that the candidates were distancing themselves from him.