Donald Trump’s approval rating has recovered ever so slightly from the lowest polling point of his political career, but the wider picture looks rather less encouraging for his party.
Some 35% of Americans approve of the US president’s performance, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. That’s up from the record low of 33% recorded between August 28 and 31.
It is, technically, something of an improvement. Nobody’s likely to start printing the commemorative merchandise just yet, however, particularly as most of the other numbers for Republicans are heading in the wrong direction.
Asked which party they would support if congressional elections were held today, 44% of respondents chose the Democrats. Republicans trailed a full seven points behind on 37%.
That represents the Democrats’ biggest lead in a Reuters/Ipsos poll since Trump returned to the White House back in January 2025.
Losing either the House or Senate would make it a fair amount harder for him to push through his agenda during the final two years of his presidential term.
There’s an important catch, however. A national poll can offer a broad picture of public opinion, but the battle for Congress will ultimately be decided through individual state and district contests.
Those races don’t always reflect the national mood and Republicans retain some structural advantages. Still, being seven percentage points behind isn’t ideal.
The survey was conducted shortly after Republicans gathered in Dallas for the party’s first national midterm convention. Trump used the event to put his presidency at the centre of the election campaign and urged supporters to keep the GOP in control of Congress.
His most eye-catching pledge was that all American adults would receive $5,000 dividend payments if Republicans held both chambers. Giving people $5,000 might sound like one of the easier political ideas to sell, but voters appear to have looked that particular gift horse firmly in the mouth.
Some 63% of respondents opposed the proposal, including four in 10 Republicans and nine in 10 Democrats. Trump has continued to defend the idea, which would need to be approved by Congress. And cost the country a significant sum.
Reuters previously reported that the payments would cost roughly $1.2 trillion, as well as potentially hundreds of billions of dollars in additional interest.
Several Republicans have warned that the policy could increase inflation and worsen the country’s financial position.
Economic worries are already becoming a serious problem for Trump’s party. The poll found that 38% trusted Democrats to handle the economy better, narrowly ahead of the 37% who chose Republicans.
It’s only a one-point lead, but it marks an unusual reversal on an issue that has traditionally favoured the GOP. Democrats moved ahead on economic policy during the summer for the first time in about a decade.
Trump’s popularity has fallen sharply during the war with Iran, which began in February and has disrupted oil shipments from the Middle East. Fuel prices have climbed towards record levels, adding further pressure to American household finances.
The president’s construction projects in Washington received a distinctly unenthusiastic response too. These include his plans for a new White House ballroom, though voters seem rather more concerned about what it costs to fill their cars than where DC holds its fanciest dances.
Two-thirds of respondents described the projects as a low priority, including half of Republicans, while 91% of Democrats opposed them.
The four-day poll surveyed 1,143 adults across the US and had a margin of error of three percentage points in either direction, so the apparent two-point improvement in Trump’s rating should really be treated with a little caution.
All in all, it’s good news for the president. Well, fairly good news. Sort of.