Trump Approval Falls to Second-Term Low as Iran War Drags On

President Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen to 33%, marking the lowest point of his second term and matching his lowest rating from his first term, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. The survey, conducted Aug. 14-17 among 1,166 U.S. adults, found that 64% disapprove of Trump’s job performance, while his approval rating dropped two points from earlier this month. The poll has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

The survey also found widespread expectations that the U.S. conflict with Iran will continue for an extended period. Eighty percent of respondents said they believe U.S. involvement in Iran will last for a long time, including 87% of Democrats and 71% of Republicans. Only 16% expected the conflict to end within several weeks.

Trump said Monday that he was not in a hurry to bring the war to an end and threatened to expand the conflict by targeting neutral Oman. The poll also showed Democrats narrowly overtaking Republicans on economic management, with 38% saying they trust Democrats more to handle the economy compared with 35% who chose Republicans. It was the first time in roughly a decade that Democrats held an advantage on that question.

A Financial Times/Focaldata survey released Aug. 16 found Trump with a 35% approval rating and 55% disapproval rating among 1,913 registered voters surveyed Aug. 7-10. His net approval among Republicans had fallen eight points compared with the previous month’s survey. The poll was conducted as July inflation eased from June but remained at 3.4%, above the level when Trump took office, while the Iran conflict continued to increase fuel costs and disrupt economic activity. Democrats also held a five-point advantage over Republicans in the survey’s measure of voter preference for the upcoming midterm elections.

Trump’s approval ratings have remained weak across several other polls. On July 30, Nate Silver’s polling tracker showed Trump at 38.2% approval and 58.8% disapproval, producing a net approval rating of minus 20.6%, the lowest of his second term at that point. His net rating had fallen from minus 16.4% on July 12.

An AP-NORC poll released July 30 also recorded a 33% approval rating for Trump, eight points below his rating at the same point during his first term and three points lower than former President Joe Biden’s 36% rating in July 2022. Approval of Trump’s handling of the Iran war had fallen six points since June, including a decline from 71% to 61% among Republicans. Only 48% of Republicans and 23% of Americans overall said the United States should continue military action in Iran.

A Quinnipiac University poll released July 29 placed Trump’s approval at 32%, the lowest figure recorded by the pollster. Majorities disapproved of his handling of the Iran conflict, foreign policy, the economy, trade and immigration. Sixty-six percent disapproved of his handling of the Iran conflict, while 62% disapproved of his approach to foreign policy and the economy. Sixty percent also opposed the ongoing war with Iran, compared with 34% who approved of it, the lowest level of support recorded by Quinnipiac since it began asking about the conflict in March.

Trump continued to receive strong backing from Republicans in that Quinnipiac survey, although support had slipped. Seventy-six percent of Republicans approved of his overall job performance, down from 85% in June. The survey included 963 registered voters and had a margin of error of 4.1 percentage points.

A CNN poll conducted July 23-27 found that 65% of respondents believed Trump’s policies were hurting the economy, while 67% said the Iran war was harming the United States. The survey also examined public reaction to Trump’s Washington, D.C., renovation projects, including the planned White House ballroom and Reflecting Pool upgrades. Eighty-eight percent of Democrats and 62% overall disapproved of the renovations, while 22% of Republicans disapproved. Among Republicans, 44% approved and 35% said they did not mind the changes.

The CNN survey also found broad opposition to Trump’s financial gains while serving in office. After disclosures that he earned more than $2 billion in 2025, 85% of Democrats and 62% of independents said they disapproved, while Republicans were divided, with 20% disapproving, 15% approving and 65% saying it did not matter. The poll surveyed 1,225 U.S. adults and had a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points.

A CBS News/YouGov poll conducted July 21-24 gave Trump a 40% approval rating and 61% disapproval rating, while support for U.S. military action against Iran had fallen from 44% in March to 39%. Thirty-seven percent of respondents expected the conflict to continue for months, 21% thought it would last years, 9% expected it to end within days or weeks and 33% were unsure.

Pew Research Center reported July 23 that Trump’s approval stood at 34%, unchanged from April, while 64% disapproved of his performance. The survey of 3,554 U.S. adults also showed Democrats with a six-point advantage on the congressional midterm ballot, with 20% undecided. Forty-two percent said their congressional vote would be intended to oppose Trump, while 22% said it would be a vote in support of him.

An Emerson College poll conducted July 19-20 found Trump with 39% approval and 57% disapproval among 1,100 likely voters. Democrats held an 11-point advantage on the generic congressional ballot. CNBC’s July 17 survey, meanwhile, placed Trump at 40% approval and 59% disapproval. His 38% approval rating on the economy was also the weakest economic assessment of his political career in the CNBC polling, while 61% said they were pessimistic about the economy and its future, the highest share recorded by the survey since December 2023.

A Washington Post/Ipsos poll released July 16 found Trump with 37% approval and 61% disapproval, with his ratings on the economy, immigration and the Iran war all below 40%. The survey found that 48% expected the economy to improve during the next year, while 43% said they were financially worse off than they had been when Joe Biden was president.

Trump’s current approval level is comparable with Biden’s rating at a similar point in his presidency. Gallup recorded Biden’s approval at 44% in August 2022. Trump’s own first-term approval was higher, reaching 42% during the week of Aug. 13-19, 2018.

Trump entered his second term with a 52% approval rating and 43% disapproval rating, according to The New York Times’ polling average. His support fell sharply after the announcement of his “Liberation Day” tariffs in April 2025 and declined again following the beginning of the Iran war at the end of February. Economic concerns have remained prominent throughout his second term, while rising gas prices associated with the conflict have contributed to worsening views of the economy.

Trump’s declining approval comes as Democrats are positioned to potentially regain control of the House, according to the Cook Political Report, while also seeking to gain seats in the Republican-controlled Senate.