Donald Trump’s approval rating has hit its worst level during his two terms in office, with more than six in 10 Americans disapproving of the president’s job performance.
Trump’s rating is at its worst on the cost of living and other economic issues since launching his deeply unpopular war against Iran in February, which has plunged the global economy into an oil crisis and sent gas prices rocketing to a four-year high.
Two-thirds of Americans now feel the country is headed in the wrong direction.
Meanwhile, Trump announced the US would “guide” stranded ships through the strait of Hormuz and claimed his representatives were having “very positive” talks with Iran.
Here are the top Trump administration stories of the day:
President’s disapproval rating at highest level yet
Six months out from November’s midterm US elections, Trump’s disapproval rating has reached 62% – the worst of his two terms in office – according to a new Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll.
The president achieved majority disapproval on his management of every issue measured, including Americans disapproving of his handling of the Iran war at 66% – against 32% approval – while 76% disapproved and only 23% approved of his handling of the cost of living.
Trump says US will ‘guide’ trapped ships from Gulf
Trump said the US effort to free ships stranded in the strait of Hormuz would be a “humanitarian gesture” to aid neutral countries in the war against Iran and would begin on Monday morning.
The president gave no details of how the more than 850 vessels trapped in the Gulf would be freed, and US media cited a US official as saying the plan did not currently involve US navy warships escorting vessels through the strait. Instead, it would reportedly be a process through which shipping stakeholders could coordinate traffic through the strait.
Rubio to visit Rome to ‘thaw’ relations, reports say
The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, is to travel to Rome this week for a visit reportedly aimed at thawing frosty relations with the Italian government and the Vatican.
‘Disarray’: alarm over Hegseth’s Pentagon staff purges
Pete Hegseth’s purges of senior officers with impeccable reputations have caused alarm at the Pentagon, raising questions about whether a supposed last line of defense against the impulsive whims of a president with access to the nuclear codes still exists.
One retired army major-general likened the removals to Stalin’s far bloodier purge of red army generals before the second world war – a move widely believed to have hampered the Soviet Union’s initial efforts to repel Nazi Germany’s 1941 invasion – warning that it could hinder US military operational capacity in its war against Iran.
Evidence shows suspect shot officer at press dinner, US official claims
The US government has evidence that a federal agent was shot by the suspect during an alleged recent attempt to assassinate Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, the US attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, said on Sunday.
What else happened today:
Trump is attempting to select his own citizenry and control who can vote by gathering the personal details of all Americans, Arizona’s top election official has warned.
Misinformation from top health officials in the Trump administration has created a “crisis of public trust” – and Congress should conduct oversight hearings and possibly impeach officials such as health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, according to a recently released report.
Acting US attorney general Todd Blanche defended new criminal charges filed against former FBI head James Comey, insisting that the case was based on more than just an Instagram post from last year.
Catching up? Here’s what happened 2 May 2026.
