A Closer Look At Trump’s Approval

President Donald Trump’s job approval rating has fallen to 33% in a new Financial Times/Focaldata poll, the lowest level recorded since the survey began tracking the question in May.

The decline comes less than two months before the 2026 midterm elections and at a time when Americans continue to express concerns about the economy, household finances, fuel prices and trade.

Trump’s overall approval fell three percentage points from the previous month, according to the nationwide survey of registered voters.

The president remains considerably more popular among Republicans than among voters overall. However, the poll also detected weakening support within his own party, particularly over economic issues.

Trump Approval Slips Among Republican Voters

Trump’s approval rating among Republican voters declined by more than two percentage points to 72%, another low for the Financial Times polling series.

More notable for the upcoming midterms may be Republican attitudes toward the economy.

Only 53% of Republican respondents approved of Trump’s handling of jobs and the economy, a decline of nearly eight percentage points from the previous month.

The findings put renewed attention on an issue that routinely matters to voters regardless of which party controls Washington: the amount of money left in their pockets after paying for food, fuel, housing, utilities and other necessities.

Economic Concerns Remain a Major Issue

The poll found broad dissatisfaction with the direction of the economy.

Nearly two-thirds of registered voters surveyed said they believed the U.S. economy was headed in the wrong direction.

Meanwhile, 57% said they were financially worse off under Trump. That figure increased from 53% one month earlier.

Those numbers could present a challenge for the White House as Republicans campaign on their economic agenda ahead of November.

The administration maintains that its policies — including tax cuts, deregulation and increased domestic energy production — are designed to strengthen American businesses, create jobs and encourage long-term economic growth.

Jobs Report Gives White House a Counterargument

The administration has economic data it can point to as evidence that conditions are more complicated than the negative polling numbers suggest.

The U.S. economy added 162,000 jobs in August, substantially exceeding expectations, while the unemployment rate remained at 4.1%.

The stronger-than-expected employment report provided the White House with a positive economic talking point as Republicans head into the final stretch of the midterm campaign.

However, strong employment figures do not necessarily erase voter concerns about the cost of living.

For households dealing with higher prices, perceptions of the economy can depend as much on everyday expenses as national employment statistics.

Diesel Prices Add to Cost-of-Living Concerns

Fuel costs have become another closely watched economic issue.

Diesel reached $5.85 per gallon on Friday, according to AAA figures cited by the Financial Times.

Diesel prices have consequences far beyond drivers filling up pickup trucks.

The fuel powers much of America’s trucking, farming, construction and industrial machinery. When diesel becomes more expensive, businesses can face higher transportation and production expenses.

Those costs can eventually work their way through supply chains and affect prices paid by consumers.

Energy markets have also faced pressure connected with the U.S.-Iran conflict and disruptions affecting global energy supplies.

For voters living on fixed incomes or carefully managed household budgets, sustained increases in transportation and consumer prices can be particularly noticeable.

Trump’s Canadian Tariffs Draw Opposition

Trade policy generated some of the strongest opposition measured in the poll.

Fifty-six percent of registered voters surveyed said they disapproved of Trump’s 50% tariff on approximately $20 billion worth of Canadian goods.

Opposition extended beyond Democratic voters.

More than 60% of independents and nearly one-third of Republicans surveyed opposed the policy.

Canada responded by imposing tariffs of up to 50% on certain American imports, escalating the trade dispute between two of the world’s largest trading partners.

Supporters of tariffs argue that they can protect domestic industries, encourage companies to manufacture products in the United States and provide leverage during international trade negotiations.

Critics counter that tariffs can increase costs for businesses importing materials or products, with some of those expenses potentially being passed on to consumers.

The political question heading into November is how voters judge those competing arguments.

Trump’s Role in Midterms Comes Under Scrutiny

Trump is expected to remain one of the most visible figures in the Republican campaign.

The Republican National Committee is preparing a two-day midterm convention in Dallas, where the president is scheduled to play a prominent role.

But the Financial Times/Focaldata survey found mixed attitudes about whether Trump’s involvement benefits Republican congressional candidates.

Forty-six percent of voters surveyed said Trump was making it harder for Republicans running for Congress to win in November.

More than half of independent respondents expressed that view.

Separately, 47% of independents said a Trump endorsement would make them less likely to support a congressional candidate.

That does not mean Trump’s involvement will necessarily have the same effect in individual races. Congressional elections are decided district by district and state by state, and candidates face substantially different political environments.

Democrats Lead Generic Congressional Ballot in Poll

The survey also asked registered voters which party they were likely to support for Congress.

Democrats held a 7.5-percentage-point advantage over Republicans on that generic congressional ballot, increasing from a five-point advantage the previous month.

Generic-ballot polling provides a broad snapshot of national party preference.

It should not be treated as a prediction of how many seats either party will win.

Individual House and Senate contests can be influenced by candidate quality, local issues, fundraising, turnout and the political makeup of individual states and congressional districts.

MAGA Inc. Begins Major Midterm Spending

Republican-aligned organizations are preparing to spend heavily as Election Day approaches.

MAGA Inc., the pro-Trump super PAC that accumulated a reported $400 million campaign war chest, disclosed $10 million in advertising supporting Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican Senate nominee.

Paxton is running against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico.

The expenditure illustrates the enormous sums expected to flow into competitive congressional races during the final weeks of the campaign.

Advertising spending could intensify considerably as Republicans and Democrats attempt to persuade independent and undecided voters.

White House Defends Trump’s Economic Agenda

The White House rejected the suggestion that the polling numbers tell the complete story about the administration’s economic record.

A White House spokesperson told the Financial Times that the administration remains committed to an agenda focused on tax cuts, deregulation and expanding American energy production.

The administration also pointed to the August employment report as evidence that private-sector job creation and American industrial development remain resilient.

Trump and his allies have argued that disruptions associated with administration policies will ultimately give way to stronger economic growth.

Opponents have focused instead on prices, tariffs and household finances.

Those competing economic arguments are likely to remain prominent through Election Day.

What the Trump Approval Poll Actually Measured

The details behind the headline number are important.

Focaldata, a London-based nonpartisan research company, conducted the online survey for the Financial Times from August 28 through September 1.

The poll included 1,914 registered voters nationwide.

Its overall margin of sampling error was plus or minus 2.6 percentage points. Margins of error are larger when examining smaller subgroups within the survey.

That means the 33% approval figure should be understood as an estimate rather than an exact measurement of every registered voter in the country.

It is also one poll.

Political surveys can produce different results because of differences in methodology, sample composition, question wording and when interviews are conducted.

Why the Economy Could Be Central to the Midterms

The larger message from the survey may be less about one approval number and more about what voters say is bothering them.

Household finances remain a major concern.

Fuel prices remain highly visible.

Trade and tariffs are attracting opposition from portions of the electorate.

And independent voters — often an important group in competitive congressional races — are expressing significant reservations about the president in this particular survey.

At the same time, the administration can point to stronger-than-expected employment growth and continues to argue that its tax, regulatory, trade and energy policies will produce longer-term benefits for American workers.

With the November midterms approaching, Republicans and Democrats will have competing explanations for the state of the country.

Voters will ultimately decide which argument they find more convincing.