Thursday, June 4, 2026
Vol. VIII
Est. 2019

The Mind Shield

News · Opinion · Politics · Analysis

Trump’s net approval rating hits record low.

Donald Trump’s net approval is at a record low this week, according to an analysis by a polling tracker. The Economist’s tracker of polling conducted by YouGov shows…

Trump’s net approval rating hits record low.
Donald Trump listens at an event in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Washington. Photo: Mark Schiefelbein/AP

Donald Trump’s net approval is at a record low this week, according to an analysis by a polling tracker.

The Economist’s tracker of polling conducted by YouGov shows Trump with a net approval rating of -25 percentage points, down 1.1 percentage points compared to last week. This makes Trump the most unpopular president since the survey started in 2009.

Trump’s unpopularity is largely due to his handling of the economy. Three-quarters of Americans think economic conditions are “fair” or “poor,” and 59% think it is getting worse. Trump recorded his lowest job approval rating for his handling of inflation and prices, with a net rating of -43 percentage points, the lowest it has ever been in his second term so far, according to the analysis.

Trump’s war with Iran has also contributed to his rising unpopularity; more than half of Americans think the conflict was the “wrong decision” in hindsight. That is not surprising considering that the objectives of the war remain unclear and the war has led to an increase in fuel prices for Americans already dealing with the economic pain of Trump’s tariffs.

The average price of gas in the U.S. was more than $4 per gallon on Thursday, up more than a dollar from this time last year, according to AAA.

Despite this, Trump told reporters last month he doesn’t think about Americans’ financial situation “even a little bit” as he negotiates with Iran to end the war he started.

“The only thing that matters, when I’m talking about Iran, they can’t have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing: You cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon.”

However, as the war drags on some Republicans are signalling their willingness to break with Trump. On Wednesday, four Republican congressmen voted with every Democrat in the House to pass a war powers resolution directing Trump to remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities with Iran, unless Congress votes to declare war or authorizes the use of military force against Iran.