President Donald Trump’s approval rating remains near record lows. The ongoing Iran war is continuing to push gas prices up. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows that 35% of Americans approve of his performance in the White House.
The number has barely moved in weeks and sits just above the lowest point of his current term. The poll, completed on June 8, surveyed 4,531 U.S. adults and carries a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
Donald Trump’s new approval rating is still low
The president’s current 35% approval rating is unchanged from a mid-May Reuters/Ipsos poll and only slightly above his April low of 34% this term. It also edges close to his first-term floor of 33%, recorded in December 2017.
Donald Trump campaigned heavily on a promise to fix inflation. But the decision to go to war with Iran has driven oil prices higher, undermining that pledge. Although pump prices have eased slightly in recent weeks on hopes the conflict could wind down, 59% of poll respondents said they expect gas prices to get worse over the next year. Only 17% believe prices will improve.
The partisan split is stark. Among Democrats, 83% expect oil prices to worsen. Republicans are more optimistic, as 39% think prices will improve, but even within the party, 34% expect a further rise. Among independents, 61% anticipate higher prices ahead. On the Iran war itself, 36% of Americans said they approved of U.S. strikes on Iran. A smaller share, just 25%, said the benefits had been worth the costs.
Donald Trump’s approval rating gets worse on the economy. Only 22% of Americans approve of how Trump handles the cost of living, while 70% disapprove. That puts him below his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden, who left office with 29% approval and 63% disapproval on the same issue. Despite Biden’s administration faced several years of high inflation that weighed on Democrats in the 2024 presidential election.
Now, with midterm elections approaching in November, persistently high gas costs appear to pose a real political risk for Donald Trump and his party hoping to hold control of Congress.
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on Mandatory.
