As economic anxiety, foreign policy questions, and a shifting political landscape continue to shape public opinion, many Americans are searching for trump poll numbers today to understand exactly how the president’s standing has changed in recent weeks. The latest surveys from major pollsters show a president whose approval rating remains historically low for this point in a second term, even as a handful of individual polls suggest a modest, uneven uptick. Understanding these numbers requires looking beyond any single survey and instead examining the broader trend across multiple polling organizations.
A Snapshot of the Current Numbers
According to recent aggregated polling data, Donald Trump’s net approval rating has hovered in negative territory through most of June, with some averages placing his net approval around -17 to -18 points. That marks a slight improvement from a week earlier, when his net approval sat closer to -19, but it still leaves him well behind where both Joe Biden and Trump himself stood at the same point in their respective terms.
Individual polls continue to show meaningful variation depending on methodology and sample composition. Some of the more favorable recent results include a Trump deficit of roughly six points in one survey and twelve points in another, while other pollsters have shown gaps ranging from the high teens to nearly thirty points. Firms with a Republican-leaning house effect have generally produced more favorable numbers for the president, while live-caller and adult-population surveys tend to show steeper disapproval.
Several flagship national polls offer a clearer picture of the consensus:
- A recent NPR/PBS News/Marist Poll found Trump’s approval at 36%, with disapproval reaching 59%, among the lowest marks of his second term.
- An Associated Press-NORC survey conducted in mid-June found his approval holding at 37%, unchanged from the previous month.
- A Reuters/Ipsos poll taken in mid-June showed approval ticking up slightly to 36%, following a 35% reading earlier in the month.
- The Harvard CAPS/Harris poll showed a modest increase to 43%, up one point from a low reached in April.
- Emerson’s most recent survey put approval at 39%, down slightly from the prior month, with disapproval near 55%.
Taken together, these figures suggest Trump’s approval rating is generally clustering in the mid-to-high 30s nationally, with disapproval consistently exceeding approval by a wide margin.
Background on the Trend
Trump began his second term in January 2025 with an approval rating around 47% to 52%, depending on the polling outlet, which itself was historically low for an incoming president, trailing only his own first-term starting numbers. From there, his approval steadily eroded throughout 2025 and into 2026, settling into an average range of roughly 37% to 40% for much of this year. That decline has not been uniform; it has included periods of relative stability followed by sharper drops tied to specific events and policy decisions.
One of the more significant inflection points came in late April, when several pollsters recorded record lows for the term, with one major survey placing approval as low as 34%. That dip coincided with growing dissatisfaction over economic conditions and cost-of-living pressures, issues that have remained a consistent drag on his numbers throughout the year.
What’s Driving the Numbers
Cost of living and inflation remain the dominant forces shaping how Americans view the president’s job performance. Polling consistently shows his ratings on handling inflation and the broader economy trailing his overall approval, with some surveys showing inflation approval in the high teens to low twenties, far below his topline numbers. Surveys have also tracked rising concern over the cost of housing, real estate, gas, and utilities, with many voters identifying the economy as the single most important issue facing the country right now.
Foreign policy has played an increasingly prominent role as well. The recent U.S. agreement with Iran to end hostilities brought some short-term economic relief, including a dip in gas prices, but polling found that a majority of Americans still believed U.S. military action in the region had gone too far, even as that sentiment eased somewhat compared to earlier in the year. Trump’s approval rating on his handling of the Iran situation specifically has tracked closely with, and at times lagged behind, his overall numbers.
State-level polling reinforces the national trend. A recent Franklin & Marshall College poll of Pennsylvania voters found Trump’s approval rating had fallen ten points over roughly three months, driven largely by concerns over the cost of living, international affairs, and uncertainty surrounding artificial intelligence’s effect on jobs and the economy. His ratings on handling foreign policy and inflation both declined sharply in that survey, underscoring how localized polling often mirrors the broader national picture.
Comparing This Term to the First
Analysts who track presidential approval over time note that Trump’s current numbers are running behind his own first-term trajectory at the same point. His net approval today is lower than it was at a comparable point during his first presidency, and also lower than Biden’s net approval at the same stage of his term. This comparison matters because it suggests the erosion in support is not simply typical of any modern presidency, but appears more pronounced for Trump specifically during this stretch of his second term.
At the same time, some indicators have shown surprising resilience. Generic right-direction sentiment, which measures whether Americans feel the country is headed the right way, has actually averaged somewhat higher during this term than during comparable points in either his first term or Biden’s presidency, even as direct approval of Trump himself has lagged. This divergence highlights how approval ratings and broader national mood don’t always move in lockstep.
Why Polling Varies So Much
One reason headlines about trump poll numbers today can seem contradictory is that different polling organizations use different methodologies, sample populations, and question wording. Polls of registered or likely voters have historically tended to show more favorable results for Trump than polls of all adults, while live-interview phone polls often produce different results than online or automated surveys. Firms also vary in their historical “house effects,” with some consistently leaning more favorable or unfavorable to Republican officeholders.
This is why most analysts recommend looking at polling averages rather than any single poll when trying to gauge true public sentiment. Aggregators that weight surveys by sample size, methodology, and recency tend to offer a more stable and reliable picture than any individual data point, especially in a media environment where outlier polls can generate outsized attention.
Public Interest and Why It Matters
Interest in presidential approval ratings tends to spike around major news events, policy announcements, and election cycles, and that pattern holds true now as the country looks ahead to the 2026 midterm elections. Approval numbers are widely viewed as an early indicator of how competitive House and Senate races might be, with historically low presidential approval often correlating with losses for the president’s party in midterm contests.
Beyond the political horse race, approval polling offers a window into how Americans are experiencing the economy and major policy decisions in real time. The consistent emphasis on cost of living, inflation, and housing affordability in poll after poll signals that these pocketbook issues remain the central concern shaping public opinion, regardless of foreign policy developments or other news cycles.
Final Thoughts
The latest trump poll numbers today paint a picture of a president whose approval rating remains well below 40% in most national surveys, with disapproval consistently in the high 50s to low 60s. While certain individual polls have shown short-term improvement, the broader trend across 2025 and into 2026 reflects a steady decline driven primarily by economic concerns, particularly inflation and the cost of living, along with mixed reactions to foreign policy decisions including the recent Iran agreement. As the midterm elections approach, these numbers will likely continue drawing close scrutiny from political analysts, campaign strategists, and everyday voters trying to gauge the national mood.
Stay tuned for continued updates on the latest polling trends, and share your thoughts in the comments below.