Trump’s Approval Drops to 36% in Gallup Survey as Economy Weighs on Americans

By Brian Daitzman

President Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen to 36 percent, the lowest of his second term, according to new data released Friday by Gallup.

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The poll, conducted Nov. 3 to Nov. 25, found that 60 percent of Americans disapproved of his job performance, while 4 percent expressed no opinion. Gallup said the November figure represented a five-point drop from the October survey.

Republican approval fell from 91% in October to 84% in November.

Presidential approval is closely monitored because it has historically correlated with midterm outcomes, according to archives maintained by the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research. In several midterm cycles dating back to the 1970s, presidents with approval ratings below 45 percent saw their party lose House seats. The Gallup findings arrive as national economic indicators remain mixed. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that food-at-home prices in October were 4.3 percent higher than a year earlier. In separate analyses, the Congressional Budget Office noted in 2024 that elevated prices placed outsized strain on lower-income households.

Independent approval dropped from 33% to 25%.

Gallup reported that the November field period overlapped “the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history,” which ended Nov. 12. The shutdown occurred after Congress failed to enact appropriations under the Antideficiency Act, triggering an automatic halt of non-essential federal operations. The Congressional Budget Office stated that the shutdown delayed multiple agency services and temporarily suspended pay for hundreds of thousands of federal workers. Gallup said respondents cited the shutdown environment as one factor shaping November attitudes.

Support for the president declined across several groups Gallup measures regularly. Republican approval fell from 91 percent in October to 84 percent in November. Independent approval dropped from 33 percent to 25 percent. Gallup described that figure as “the lowest independent approval for Trump in either term.” Approval among Democrats held at 3 percent. The firm stated that the shifts represented “broad erosion in key blocs.”

Demographic patterns in the November data aligned with earlier 2025 findings. Approval among women remained below that among men. Adults ages 18 to 34 recorded the lowest approval of any age group. Approval among non-white adults continued to trail that of white adults. Pew Research Center said in an August report that these demographic gaps had persisted across multiple indicators of political sentiment throughout the year.

The survey also assessed the president’s handling of nine policy areas, and all nine showed net disapproval. Crime produced the highest rating at 43 percent approval and 52 percent disapproval. Foreign affairs and foreign trade followed at 41 percent and 39 percent approval. Ratings on immigration, the economy, the federal budget, the situation in the Middle East, Ukraine and health care ranged from 30 to 37 percent approval. Health care was the lowest, at 30 percent approval and 63 percent disapproval.

Several issue ratings had declined since earlier in 2025. Approval on immigration fell nine points since February. Economic approval fell six points. Approval on the federal budget dropped twelve points since March, according to Gallup’s trend comparisons. Approval on Ukraine fell ten points since March. In its release, Gallup said these results showed “significant erosion in policy domains that had previously shown relatively stronger evaluations.”

Congress received some of its weakest ratings in years. Fourteen percent of Americans approved of the job Congress is doing, while 80 percent disapproved. Republican approval of the Republican-led Congress fell sharply, dropping from 54 percent in September to 23 percent in November. Approval among independents stood at 15 percent, and approval among Democrats at 4 percent. Gallup said the congressional rating reflected “institutional strain,” noting that Congress last registered a single-digit approval level in late 2013 following a shutdown.

Other national indicators echoed the November findings. Pew said in October that majorities disapproved of the administration’s handling of economic conditions, immigration and federal priorities over the course of 2025. Gallup stated that affordability pressures, the shutdown and GOP losses in recent off-year elections contributed to the declines recorded in the November survey.

Gallup’s results were based on interviews with 1,321 adults across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The survey used an 80-percent cell-phone and 20-percent landline dual-frame random-digit-dialing method. Responses were weighted to demographic benchmarks from the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey and the National Health Interview Survey. The margin of sampling error was four percentage points.

📊 FACT BOX — Expanded Findings from Gallup (Nov. 3–25, 2025)

Overall Job Approval

• Approve: 36%

• Disapprove: 60%

• No opinion: 4%

• Net approval: –24

• Lowest of Trump’s second term

• Near Gallup all-time low of 34% (Jan. 2021)

Historical Context (Roper Center)

• Modern presidents approaching midterms typically average: 45–55%

• Trump early-2025 highs: mid-40s

• November result indicates departure from earlier-year levels

Partisan Approval

• Republicans: 84% (down from 91%)

• Independents: 25% (lowest of either term)

• Democrats: 3%

Issue Approval (All Net Negative)

• Crime: 43 / 52

• Foreign affairs: 41 / 56

• Foreign trade: 39 / 58

• Immigration: 37 / 62

• Economy: 36 / 62

• Middle East: 33 / 58

• Ukraine: 31 / 60

• Federal budget: 31 / 64

• Health care: 30 / 63

Change Since Early 2025

• Immigration: –9

• Economy: –6

• Budget: –12

• Ukraine: –10

Congressional Job Approval

• Overall: 14 / 80

• GOP rating of GOP-led Congress: 23% (down from 54%)

• Independents: 15%

• Democrats: 4%

Methodology

• N = 1,321 adults

• Margin of Error: ±4 pts

• Mode: Dual-frame RDD

• Weighting: CPS + NHIS

• Context: Shutdown, affordability pressures, Democratic off-year gains

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🟦 Why This Matters

1. Presidential approval is a leading indicator of midterm outcomes.

Historical data compiled by the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research show that presidents with approval ratings below 45 percent have almost always presided over losses for their party in midterm elections. Trump’s 36 percent in the latest Gallup survey places him well below that threshold as the 2026 cycle approaches.

2. Independent support has reached its lowest point in either term.

Gallup identified 25 percent approval among independents — the weakest reading for Trump across both of his presidential terms. Independents typically determine control of competitive House districts in midterm years.

3. Issue ratings have deteriorated across all major policy domains.

Gallup found that Trump is now underwater on all nine tested issues, with the sharpest declines since early 2025 occurring on immigration, the economy, the federal budget, and Ukraine. Presidents with broad issue-area weakness tend to face messaging challenges heading into congressional campaigns.

4. Congressional approval has collapsed among Republicans.

Approval of the Republican-led Congress fell from 54 percent in September to 23 percent in November among GOP respondents, according to Gallup. Declining intra-party support has historically been linked to lower turnout among the president’s base.

5. The polling period overlapped a record-long federal shutdown.

The shutdown lasted until Nov. 12 and invoked the Antideficiency Act, halting non-essential federal operations and delaying agency services. The Congressional Budget Office reported that the disruptions affected hundreds of thousands of federal employees. Gallup noted that respondents cited the shutdown environment as a factor in their evaluations.

6. National economic pressures remain elevated.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that food-at-home prices were 4.3 percent higher in October than one year earlier. The Congressional Budget Office has found that persistent price pressures weigh heavily on lower-income households. Gallup said affordability was a key concern among survey participants.

7. Trump’s current approval is near his all-time Gallup low.

His second-term approval has declined toward the 34 percent level recorded in January 2021. Sustained readings in the mid-30s historically correspond with weakened political leverage for incumbent presidents.

Brian Daitzman is the Editor of The Intellectualist. Read the original article here.

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