Reuters-Ipsos Poll on Presidential Performance
Approval Rating Down 9 Percentage Points Since Start of Term
Potential Impact on Next Year's Midterm Elections
President Donald Trump's approval rating for his administration has fallen into the 30% range, marking the lowest point since the start of his second term, according to a recent poll. The decline appears to be driven by public dissatisfaction over rising living costs and the administration's handling of the investigation into the case of Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender of minors.
According to a poll conducted by Ipsos on behalf of Reuters, which surveyed 1,017 American adults between November 14 and 17 (local time) and was released on November 18, President Trump's approval rating was recorded at 38%. The poll has a margin of error of ±3 percentage points.
This figure is 2 percentage points lower than the 40% reported in a poll earlier this month and 9 percentage points down from the 47% approval rating at the beginning of President Trump's second administration. This is the lowest level since his re-election. Notably, this rating is close to the lowest approval rating of 33% during Trump's first term and is similar to the lowest approval rating of 35% recorded by his Democratic predecessor, former President Joe Biden, according to Reuters.
Americans are believed to be largely dissatisfied with President Trump's response to the cost of living. Only 26% of respondents said Trump is managing living costs well, down from 29% in the poll conducted earlier this month. In contrast, 65% said he was handling it poorly. Even among Republican respondents, one-third expressed a negative view of his policy performance in this area.
In reality, prices in the United States are on the rise. Due to the aftermath of the federal government shutdown, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for September, which was belatedly released on October 24, showed a 3% increase compared to the same month last year. The CPI had risen by 2.3% year-on-year in April, marking the lowest rate of increase in four years, but rebounded to a 2.9% year-on-year increase in August.
Respondents also expressed significant dissatisfaction with the handling of the Epstein case. As many as 70% of respondents believe the Trump administration is concealing information related to Epstein's clients. Among them, 87% were Democrats, and even among Republicans, 60% shared this belief. Only 20% expressed support for the administration's handling of the case.
Epstein was a billionaire financier who pleaded guilty to charges of sexually exploiting minors in 2008 and died in prison in 2019. Documents detailing Epstein's extensive network and private life have included the names of several prominent figures. President Trump is also considered to be among those who had past associations with Epstein. Trump has consistently maintained that he had no connection to Epstein's crimes.
Reuters noted, "Although voters believe there is a better approach being taken on economic policy, President Trump's weakening popularity could make the Republican Party even more vulnerable in next year's midterm elections."
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