Trump's approval at career low as economic discontent shifts voters towards Democrats

Democrats appear more fired up about the elections, with 46% of self-identified Democrats describing themselves as "very enthusiastic" about voting in November, compared to 31% of Republicans, /Ipsos poll, which surveyed 1,167 US adults nationwide.

Asked which party they would vote for if the congressional elections were held today, 36% of independents in the survey picked Democrats, while 22% picked Republicans.

Since mid-August, Trump's popularity has held at a level it only briefly touched early in his first presidency, and well below the 47% share of Americans who approved of his performance early in his current term. His rating is lower than the low point his predecessor in office, Democrat Joe Biden, hit, at 35% approval, in October 2024.

Like Biden, Trump has been dogged by widespread discontent over high levels of inflation. Gasoline prices have surged since Trump ordered the US to start bombing Iran in February, and just 36% of Americans approve of the war, the Reuters/Ipsos poll showed.

The conflict has had long lulls over the period, but in recent days the two sides have traded missile strikes, and since the war's outset Iran has largely blocked a major transit point for the global oil trade. Some 71% of Americans - including four in 10 Republicans - disapprove of how Trump is handling the cost of living.

For the last month, registered voters in the survey have been saying the Democratic Party has better ideas for the economy than the Republican Party, the first time Democrats have led on the issue in about a decade. The four-day poll had a margin of error of 3 percentage points in either direction.