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By Sam Stevenson
Associate News Editor
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President Donald Trump’s approval has sunk to new all-time lows on the economy and the cost of living, as voters grow increasingly uneasy about rising prices tied to the Iran war, according to a national polling series.
White House spokesman Davis Ingle told Newsweek in an emailed statement: "The ultimate poll was November 5, 2024, when nearly 80 million Americans overwhelmingly elected President Trump to deliver on his popular and common-sense agenda."
Why It Matters
With the 2026 midterms approaching, economic anxiety is emerging as a political pressure point for the White House.
Read More on Politics
Fallout from the Iran war, dubbed "Operation Epic Fury" by the Trump administration, particularly its impact on gas prices and inflation, is increasingly shaping voter sentiment.
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What To Know
A new Yahoo/YouGov survey shows Trump struggling on core issues, with his net approval hitting fresh lows on the economy and the cost of living.
Overall job approval in the poll stood at 38 percent, unchanged from the previous survey, while disapproval edged up to 59 percent, a one‑point increase.
On individual issues, sentiment was markedly worse.
Trump’s net approval on the economy fell to minus 29. According to Yahoo, it is the lowest economic approval rating this polling series has ever measured for Trump—even worse than during the peak of the COVID‑19 crisis in his first term.
When it comes to the president’s handling of the cost of living, disapproval stood at 67 percent, compared with just 26 percent who approved—the weakest showing on that issue to date, according to Yahoo.
Gas prices remain another major vulnerability, with a net approval of minus 39.
Public concern about inflation appears widespread and persistent.
Just 16 percent of respondents said inflation was getting better, while 61 percent believe it is getting worse, underscoring the depth of economic pessimism captured by the poll.
The survey was conducted by YouGov for Yahoo News using a nationally representative sample of 1,699 U.S. adults.
Interviews were carried out online between March 12 and March 16, 2026.
Responses were weighted to reflect the U.S. adult population by gender, age, race, education, 2024 election turnout and presidential vote, party identification, and current voter registration status.
Demographic benchmarks were drawn from the 2019 American Community Survey, with party identification weighted to an estimated electorate of 31 percent Democratic and 32 percent Republican.
The poll’s margin of error was approximately 3.1 percent.
Trump has publicly dismissed unfavorable polling in recent weeks, telling the New York Post about low approval tied to the Iran war: "I think that the polling is very good, but I don’t care about polling. I have to do the right thing. This should have been done a long time ago."
And a White House official previously told Newsweek that polling shows Trump’s decision to launch Operation Epic Fury is backed by a plurality of Americans, with especially strong support among Republicans and MAGA voters, including younger Republican men.
The official pointed to multiple surveys indicating that claims the operation would fracture Trump’s base are not supported by the data, citing polls from The Washington Post, NBC, YouGov and CNN showing broad Republican approval and overwhelming backing among self‑identified MAGA Republicans.
What People Are Saying
White House spokesman Davis Ingle told Newsweek in an emailed statement: "The ultimate poll was November 5, 2024, when nearly 80 million Americans overwhelmingly elected President Trump to deliver on his popular and common-sense agenda.
"The president has already made historic progress not only in America but around the world. It is not surprising that President Trump remains the most dominant figure in American politics."
Brett Loyd, polling and research specialist for the Independent Center, previously told Newsweek: "Issue trust is the real game‑changer here. You can tell me someone’s age or where they live, and I’m still basically guessing, but tell me if they’re 'sour' or 'happy' with the economy and I’ve got a much better lead on their vote. At the end of the day, if a voter feels like the economy isn't working for them, they're going to vote for change regardless of what demographic bucket they fall into."
A White House official previously told Newsweek: "Polling shows President Trump’s decision to launch Operation Epic Fury has Americans’ support—with MAGA and Republicans strongly supporting it.
"Despite some online commentators with large followings publicly disagreeing with the President’s decision—and many legacy media outlets eagerly highlighting their comments to try and sow division—the MAGA base is not wavering one bit. These commentators claiming this will somehow fracture the president’s support are not backed by or reflected in the polling data."
Clifford Young, chair of public affairs and strategic insights at Ipsos, argued that prolonged high costs would undermine Republican messaging: "It just blows up everything. The affordability agenda gets torpedoed from the Republican point of view."
President Donald Trump said: "When this is over, oil prices are going to go down very, very rapidly. So is inflation. So is everything else.
"But frankly, much more important than short-term or even long-term oil prices: You cannot let the most violent, vicious country in the last 50 years have a nuclear weapon because the Middle East will be gone. Israel will go first, without question, and they will certainly take a shot at us."
What Happens Next
Attention is likely to remain fixed on economic indicators, energy prices, and developments in the Middle East as the administration pushes its broader agenda.
How those issues evolve could play a decisive role in shaping voter attitudes heading into the midterm election cycle.
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