Updated October 10, 2026, 9:19 a.m. ET
A new round of polls is raising new red flags for President Donald Trump and Republicans as the midterm elections approach.
With control of Congress at stake, polls released this week find Trump’s approval rating near its second-term low, while Democratic voters have reported significantly greater enthusiasm for voting in November. The results come as Republicans face weakening support within Trump’s coalition and growing pressure in battleground races.
The numbers draw comparisons to 2018, shortly before Republicans lost a considerable margin of support.
Pollster David Paleologos, director of the Center for Political Research at Suffolk University, noted: “The position’s approval rating in October 2018 was 44% and it lost 41 seats in the House,” Paleologos said. “Today, his popularity rating is significantly lower.”
Democratic enthusiasm rises as Trump’s base cools
One of the clearest warning signs for Republicans came from a Reuters/Ipsos survey released this week.
The poll found that only 30% of voters who supported Trump in 2024 described themselves as “very enthusiastic” about voting in the midterms, compared to 48% of voters who supported former Vice President Kamala Harris.
The survey also suggests that many motivated voters are more motivated by opposition to Trump than support for him. Among very enthusiastic voters, 62% said they were eager to vote against the president, while 36% said they were excited to support him.
The Pew Research Center survey also highlighted an erosion within Trump’s own coalition. The poll finds that 67% of his 2024 voters approve of his job performance, down 28 percentage points from the start of his second term.
The survey also reveals growing unease among Republicans. Just 39% say they are satisfied with the direction the country is taking, down from 65% at the start of Trump’s term and the lowest level recorded during his second presidency.
Republicans face tough choices
As Election Day approaches, some analysts are watching where Republicans choose to spend their money.
Paleologos said party leaders may soon be forced to focus resources on their most competitive races.
“What you’re going to see in the next seven to 10 days is big money, the Republican National Committee, starting to take money out of the states,” Paleologos said. “It’s going to be a culture shock for some of these Republican Senate candidates.”
There are already signs of a shift in priorities. Republicans recently shifted money from the North Carolina Senate race to Kansas, according to the Associated Press, as the fight for control of the Senate enters its final weeks.
The change comes as polls have tightened Republicans’ positions in both states. An East Carolina University survey found former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper leading Republican Michael Whatley by seven points, while a YouGov poll showed Democrat Adam Hamilton ahead of Republican incumbent Sen. Roger Marshall by three points in Kansas.
Another difficult week of polls for Trump
These concerns come amid another difficult week of voting for the president.
The Pew survey released Oct. 8 found that only three in 10 Americans approve of Trump’s job performance, marking a new low for his second term and leaving him just one point above his lowest rating at the end of his first term.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released earlier in the week found Trump’s approval rating at 32% for the second week in a row, matching the lowest level the pollster has recorded for him during his two terms in office.
What the poll averages show
Individual surveys vary, but averages across major polls point to the same conclusion: Trump remains deep underwater as voters head into the final weeks before the midterm elections.
As of October 9, averages from RealClearPolitics, the New York Times and Nate Silver’s Silver Bulletin all showed Trump’s approval rating in the 30s and a disapproval rating around 60 percent.
While those averages are higher than some recent polls, they underscore the challenge Republicans face as they try to hold Congress in a political environment where more Americans disapprove than approve of the president’s performance.
Contributors: Terry Moseley, USA TODAY
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Contact him at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
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