USA28 April, 20266 min read
Trump Approval Sinks To Record Low As War With Iran Raises Cost-Of-Living Concerns
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Trump's approval hits a record low for his current term. War with Iran and rising cost of living drive the decline.
Approval at New Low
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll found President Donald Trump’s approval rating sank to the lowest level of his current term, as Americans increasingly soured on his handling of the cost of living and an unpopular war with Iran. The four-day poll completed on Monday showed 34% of Americans approve of Trump’s performance in the White House, down from 36% in a prior Reuters/Ipsos survey conducted from April 15 to 20. The poll’s results were gathered prior to the Saturday night shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, where Trump was due to speak.
Reuters reported that it remains to be seen if the incident—where a gunman was stopped before he could enter a hall where Trump was dining—might affect people’s views of the U.S. leader. The Reuters/Ipsos poll also said Trump’s standing with the U.S. public has trended lower since taking office in January 2025, when 47% of Americans gave him a thumbs-up. Reuters further reported that Trump’s approval rating on the economy is at 27%, which it said is well below any reading he had during his 2017-2021 administration, and also lower than Biden’s weakest economy rating.
Cost of Living and Iran
Reuters linked the poll’s decline to Americans’ views of the cost of living and the war with Iran, reporting that only 22% of poll respondents approved of Trump’s performance on the cost of living, down from 25% in the prior Reuters/Ipsos poll.
The same Reuters/Ipsos reporting said the U.S. and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28, which led to a surge in gasoline prices.
Reuters reported that U.S. gasoline prices have surged more than 40% to roughly $4.18 a gallon since the U.S. and Israel launched surprise attacks on Iran on February 28, triggering a response that shut down a fifth of the global oil trade.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll said the price hikes are weighing heavily on American households and fueling concern among Trump’s Republicans that they could lose control of the U.S. Congress in the November midterm elections.
Reuters reported that while a solid majority of Republicans—78%—still say they back Trump, 41% of the party say they disapprove of his handling of the cost of living.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll also reported that independent registered voters favored Democrats by 14 points, 34% to 20%, when asked who would get their vote in congressional elections, and that one in four said they were still undecided.
Shooting and Uncertainty
Reuters said the majority of responses were gathered prior to the Saturday night shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, where Trump was due to speak. Reuters reported that it remains to be seen if the incident—described as one in which a gunman was stopped before he could enter a hall where Trump was dining—might affect people’s views of the U.S. leader. The Reuters/Ipsos reporting also said federal prosecutors have charged the accused shooter with attempting to assassinate the president.
In the same Reuters account, the poll’s fieldwork details were specific: the four-day poll completed on Monday, with the prior Reuters/Ipsos survey conducted from April 15 to 20. Reuters said the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, which was conducted nationwide and online, gathered responses from 1,269 U.S. adults including 1,014 registered voters, and that the margin of error was 3 percentage points. Reuters also reported that the latest reading remains a touch above the low point of his first term, which was 33%.
Energy, Oil, and Iran Threats
Reuters reported that while the U.S. conflict with Iran has cooled since the two sides agreed to a ceasefire earlier this month, Iran’s threats are preventing most oil shipments from leaving the Persian Gulf.
The Reuters/Ipsos reporting said this is fueling further increases in U.S. and global energy prices as oil reserves decline.
Reuters also reported that just 34% of Americans approve of the U.S. conflict with Iran, down from 36% in mid-April and 38% in mid-March, according to the Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Reuters said that during Trump’s first administration, his popularity hovered around 40% for long stretches.
The Reuters/Ipsos reporting described the latest reading as remaining a touch above the low point of his first term, which was 33%.
Reuters also tied the political stakes to the November midterm elections, saying the price hikes are fueling concern among Trump’s Republicans that they could lose control of the U.S. Congress.
Framing Across Outlets
The Reuters/Ipsos findings about Trump’s approval were carried with the same core framing across multiple outlets, but the presentation differed in emphasis and additional context. WTVB’s Reuters dateline explicitly tied the poll to “President Donald Trump’s approval rating sank to the lowest level of his current term,” and it detailed the cost-of-living and Iran war drivers, including that only 22% approved of Trump’s performance on the cost of living. Dawn’s version similarly reported that “Trump approval sinks to record low as war on Iran drives cost-of-living concerns,” and it repeated the 34% approval figure and the 22% cost-of-living approval figure while also stating the poll was conducted nationwide and online.
Internazionale’s headline also matched the Reuters framing—“Exclusive-Trump approval sinks to new low as war with Iran drives cost-of-living concerns”—but the body content in the provided source was not accessible beyond a “404” page message. Marketscreener’s page, by contrast, did not provide the Reuters/Ipsos polling figures in the visible text, but it did include a set of composite rating explanations and an “MSCI ESG score” description that ranged from CCC (laggard) to AAA (leader). Even within the Reuters-based reporting, WTVB included additional specifics about the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner shooting and the poll’s sample size of 1,269 U.S. adults including 1,014 registered voters.
What Comes Next
Reuters connected the poll’s results to the political calendar and to uncertainty created by both the Iran conflict and the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner shooting.
The Reuters/Ipsos reporting said the price hikes are weighing heavily on American households and fueling concern among Trump’s Republicans that they could lose control of the U.S. Congress in the November midterm elections.
Reuters also reported that independent registered voters favored Democrats by 14 points, 34% to 20%, when asked who would get their vote in congressional elections, and that one in four said they were still undecided.
The reporting said Trump’s approval rating on the economy is at 27%, and it described that as well below any reading he had during his 2017-2021 administration, and also lower than Biden’s weakest economy rating.
Reuters further said that just 34% of Americans approve of the U.S. conflict with Iran, down from 36% in mid-April and 38% in mid-March.
On the international side, Reuters reported that while the U.S. conflict with Iran has cooled since the two sides agreed to a ceasefire earlier this month, Iran’s threats are preventing most oil shipments from leaving the Persian Gulf, fueling further increases in U.S. and global energy prices as oil reserves decline.