Trump’s disapproval rating hits record high, new poll shows

Six months out from November’s midterm US elections, Donald Trump’s disapproval rating has reached 62% – the worst of his two terms in office – according to a new Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll.

The US president received his worst ratings on the cost of living and other economic issues since launching his deeply unpopular war against Iran in February, which has plunged the global economy into an oil crisis and sent gas prices rocketing to a four-year high.

Trump achieved majority disapproval on his management of every issue measured, including Americans disapproved of his handling of that war by 66% to 32%, while a staggering 76% disapproved and only 23% approved of his handling of the cost of living. Two-thirds of Americans now feel the country is headed in the wrong direction.

The poll found Trump’s overall approval now stands at 37%, which isn’t much movement from 39% in February. But his disapproval rose to 62%, a record high across his two terms in office.

Predictably, among the Republican party faithful, Trump’s approval held steady at 85%, buoying his overall rating. But the share of Republicans who strongly approve of Trump has dropped, with 45% saying they strongly approve, down from 53%. And his ratings among Republican-leaning independents reached a new low of 56%.

Among independents overall, he lost ground, with his approval rating slipping to 25%.

Trump’s strongest performance was on the border, with 45% approval and 56% disapproval, though his handling of immigration generally remained about the same, with 40% approval and 59% disapproval, despite his controversial deployment of federal immigration and border agents in cities across the country, which saw thousands of people detained and killed two American citizens.

The weak approval ratings put the Republicans’ wafer-thin House majority in jeopardy, with its Senate majority on the line as well. The poll found that among registered voters, Democrats hold a five-point advantage on the question of which party people favor in House elections, up from a two-point edge in February and October.

The Democrats’ advantage rises to nine points among those who are absolutely certain to vote. Democrats also are far more likely than Republicans to say voting this fall is more important than previous midterms, at 73% compared to 52%.

Among Republicans who identify as Maga, 77% said they were absolutely certain to vote, compared with 59% of the smaller group of non-Maga Republicans. Meanwhile, 79% of all those who identified as Democrats said they were absolutely certain to vote.

The results also point to a division in how the significance of November’s elections was viewed by party, with a whopping 73% of Democrats saying these midterms were “much more important” than past ones, compared with 52% of Republicans.

The poll also found opposition for specific presidential actions, including Trump’s move to end birthright citizenship, cuts to federal funding for medical research, increases to defense spending, and his administration’s efforts to end temporary legal status for migrants from war-torn countries.

In addition, about seven in 10 Americans said Trump isn’t honest and trustworthy, while about six in 10 said he doesn’t have the mental sharpness to serve as president.