Trump approval rating hits new low in polls
Left 67%
Center 33%
Right 0%
2 left · 1 center · 0 right
What happened
A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll released Sunday put President Donald Trump’s job approval at 33 percent, a record low in that survey series, with the November midterm elections about two weeks away. Separate national polls from NBC News and Fox News put his approval at 34 percent and 36 percent, also record or second-term lows in those surveys. Democrats led Republicans by 8 to 10 points among registered voters across the three polls, and approval of Trump’s handling of the cost of living or inflation ranged from 21 to 27 percent. Among Republicans, Fox and NBC found 76 percent approval of Trump and the Post-ABC poll found 79 percent; Fox reported 95 percent approval among self-described MAGA Republicans versus 47 percent among non-MAGA Republicans. The Post-ABC poll also found 66 percent of respondents, including 34 percent of Republicans, said Trump is using the presidency to enrich himself.
Sourcing check · Partly on the record · 3 articles
1 of 3 articles cite a named source for the story. It started with unnamed sources; a named source appeared 20 hours later.
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- How it developed
- When the first report landed and whether it named anyone; when the first named source and the first document appeared. Here: First report Oct 18, 19:53 UTC by Axios, with no named source. First named source 20 hours later, from The Guardian. First document 17 hours later, from The Hill (poll).
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ONE-SIDED THIS WEEK.
Only left-leaning outlets have covered this story in the last two days;
Fox News reported it on 2026-10-14.
Omitted — what each side leaves out
Unpacked
Right-leaning outlets had not covered the new approval polls as of publication. Left-leaning coverage reports a record low of 33 percent in a Washington Post-ABC survey. The Guardian adds that most Americans think Trump is using the presidency to enrich himself, a result the Hill does not mention. A reader of the silent side misses that slide entirely, including that a Fox News poll also finds a second-term low and that approval among non-MAGA Republicans has dropped into minority territory.
The Hill leads with the approval rating itself. The Guardian leads with the self-enrichment finding, then reports economic pessimism, doubts about press freedom, and the president's midterm travel.
What share of non-MAGA Republicans who now disapprove still plan to vote?
Bottom line
Right-leaning outlets have not published the new lows, so readers there would not see Fox News's own poll putting Trump at 36 percent.
The receipts — 3 facts one side's coverage lacks
- Trump's approval is 33 percent in the Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll
- 66 percent of Americans believe Trump is using the presidency to enrich himself
- 95 percent of MAGA Republicans approve of Trump, versus 47 percent of non-MAGA Republicans
The Left View
The Hill and The Guardian led with the Post-ABC-Ipsos 33 percent figure as a record low just before the midterms. The Guardian also reported that 66 percent of Americans, including 34 percent of Republicans (a 12-point rise since last September), think Trump is using the presidency to enrich himself; that 75 percent rate economic conditions as “not so good” or “poor”; that 48 percent say they are financially worse off than when Trump returned to office, the highest such share in that poll series since 1986; that 37 percent trust Democrats more on the economy versus 28 percent for Republicans; and that majorities say Trump is not committed to protecting press freedom (67 percent) or free and fair elections (61 percent). Axios reported the same three polls (33, 34, and 36 percent), the 8-to-10-point Democratic generic-ballot leads, and the MAGA versus non-MAGA split, and added that a Reuters review found Republican candidates in 41 of 62 competitive races had broken with Trump on policy or downplayed ties to him. Axios quoted White House spokesperson Davis Ingle saying Trump remains the party’s “unequivocal leader” and “best messenger.”
Our Take (balanced)
The story is substantive: it rests on named national surveys (Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos, NBC News, Fox News) with specific, checkable percentages and comparisons to prior waves, not on a single uncorroborated claim. What is established is what those polls found—approval in the 33–36 percent range, weak ratings on cost of living, Democratic leads on the generic ballot, and a large gap between MAGA and non-MAGA Republicans. Perceptions that Trump is enriching himself, or is not committed to press freedom or elections, are likewise poll results, not independently verified findings about his conduct. No right-leaning outlet has reported this. Watch for additional public polls, campaign and White House responses beyond the Ingle statement, and whether approval and generic-ballot numbers hold through Election Day.
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