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U.S. Edition Est. 2026 Oct. 8, 2026

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Trump Approval Falls to 30% in Pew Poll, a New Low for His Second Term Weeks Before Midterms

A Pew Research Center survey released Oct. 8 puts President Trump's approval at 30%, his lowest of the second term, with Democrats leading by eight points on the generic ballot as the economy dominates voter concerns.

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President Donald Trump’s job approval fell to 30% in a Pew Research Center survey released Thursday, the lowest level of his second term in that polling series, according to USA Today. The result is one point above the 29% approval recorded on Jan. 12, 2021, at the end of his first term.

Pew surveyed 5,062 adults from Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, with a margin of error of 1.6 percentage points, according to USA Today. For comparison, former President Joe Biden’s low in the series was 32% in July 2024, and former President Barack Obama’s low was 41% in late 2013.

Economy dominates voter concerns

The survey found Democrats leading Republicans by eight points on a generic congressional ballot ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, according to USA Today. Among registered voters, 84% said the economy is very important to their vote, while 21% rated current economic conditions as excellent or good.

Support among Trump’s own 2024 voters also softened in the poll. Pew found 67% of those voters approve of his job performance, down 28 points since the start of the term, and 39% of Republicans said they are satisfied with the direction of the country, down from 65% at the start of 2025, according to USA Today. Broader polling averages published Oct. 8 placed Trump’s approval in the high 30s, with disapproval near 60%, according to the averages cited by USA Today.

Reporting based on coverage by USA Today.