President Donald Trump's approval rating has fallen to its lowest point of his second term, according to a new Economist/YouGov poll that also found growing dissatisfaction among independent voters and continued concerns about the economy.
The survey, released June 2, found that 61% of Americans disapprove of Trump's handling of the presidency, while his net approval rating dropped to -26, the lowest recorded in any Economist/YouGov survey conducted during either of Trump's terms in office.
The poll also found a sharp decline among independent voters as 71% now disapprove of Trump's job performance, another record high for the poll series.
Economic concerns appear to remain central to voter dissatisfaction, as 76% of Americans described the economy as either "fair" or "poor," while 32% said inflation and prices were the country's most important issue — one of the highest readings recorded in the poll's history.
A separate Emerson College Polling survey conducted in late May found Trump with a 39% approval rating and 55% disapproval rating. The same survey showed Democrats leading Republicans by nine points on a generic congressional ballot ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Political analysts cited by MS Now on Tuesday noted that Trump's recent polling struggles stand out because modern political polarization has generally kept approval ratings relatively stable. Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston said that "dramatic swings are less common because approval ratings are now fixed to partisanship."
"Trump has been able to shrug off bad polling in the past because the supposed floor his MAGA base represents keeps him from dipping below a certain point," explains MS Now, but approval numbers this far underwater suggest Trump's floor is collapsing." The news site cites a Washington Post article published last week that shows a growing number of white voters without college degrees disapprove of Trump's performance, while young and nonwhite voters who swung right in the 2024 election have jumped back to the left.
The latest YouGov findings also showed broader public unease extending beyond domestic politics. While 68% of Americans said the United States should seek a deal to end the war in Iran as quickly as possible, only 34% supported a deal that would allow Iran to retain enriched uranium.
