Trump’s approval rating hits record low in Fox, NBC and Washington Post midterm polls

Driving the news: New polls from the Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos, NBC News and Fox News put Trump’s approval at 33%, 34% and 36%, respectively — record lows or second-term lows in each survey.

• Democrats lead Republicans by eight points in the Post poll, nine points in Fox’s poll and 10 points in NBC’s poll among registered voters.
• Once a strength, the economy is now Trump’s biggest vulnerability. Only 21% approve of his handling of the cost of living in the Post poll, 27% in the NBC poll and 22% approve of his handling of inflation in the Fox poll.
• Even Republicans are unhappy: Fox and NBC both find Trump’s approval among Republicans at 76%, while the Post puts it at 79%.

Zoom: Republicans face a growing division within their party.

• Fox reports 95% approval of Trump among self-described MAGA Republicans, compared to 47% among non-MAGA Republicans.
• The Post finds that 75% of MAGA Republicans say they are certain to vote or have already voted, compared to 57% of non-MAGA Republicans.
• The Post poll also indicates that 37% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents want GOP leaders to take the party in a different direction than Trump, an unprecedented high.

The big picture: A Reuters study released earlier this month found that Republican candidates in 41 of 62 congressional elections have either broken with Trump on policy or downplayed their ties to him.

• At least a dozen of these candidates have removed Trump’s name, image or endorsement from their campaign websites, according to Reuters.
• Even some Trump voters see the problem: A Politico poll found that 26% of people who voted for Trump in 2024 think Republican candidates would be better off breaking with him.

What they say: “Distancing himself in general is not something new,” Brittany Martinez, executive director of Principles First and a Republican political strategist, told Axios. “But Republicans, many Republicans, across the country…intentionally, strategically ‘distancing from him’ speaks volumes.”

• She noted that some Republicans have criticized his policies without directly blaming him, pointing to an ad by Rep. Maria Salazar (R-Fla.) that warned Trump that he should be careful about what his advisers tell him about immigration policy.
• Kentucky Senate candidate Andy Barr, Florida gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds, and Georgia gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson are among the candidates who have removed references to Trump from their websites.

What they say: White House spokesman Davis Ingle said in a statement that “President Trump is the unequivocal leader, greatest messenger, and unrivaled motivator of the Republican Party, and he is committed to maintaining Republican majorities in Congress.”

• Donald’s campaign communications director, Gates McGavick, said the congressman was “proud to have the support of President Trump.”
• A White House official told Axios there was no distance between Trump and the candidates. Several candidates still sport their ties to Trump front and center.

Between the lines: Republicans continue to support him, even if they do not always agree with his policies.

• Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton has privately lamented the impact of the Iran war and gas prices on his campaign. But he also appeared on stage alongside Trump at a campaign rally.
• Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa), who is also in a tight Senate race, has called for an end to the war in Iran, citing high fuel prices for Iowans. Days later, she appeared in the Oval Office alongside Trump and his fellow lawmakers.

The bottom line: Republican candidates are trying to retain Trump’s devoted base without letting his growing unpopularity define their campaigns.