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By Jasmine Laws
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Five new polls have suggested that President Donald Trump's approval rating is falling in some cases to record lows, as America's conflict with Iran in the Middle East continues, and concerns about the U.S. economy are growing nationwide.
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told Newsweek: "The ultimate poll was November 5th 2024 when nearly 80 million Americans overwhelmingly elected President Trump to deliver on his popular and commonsense 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."
Why It Matters
Americans' growing concerns about the economy are emerging as a key political pressure point, as is the ongoing conflict with Iran. Polls have previously indicated that voters are also becoming increasingly frustrated with the Trump administration's actions regarding immigration, foreign policy and the economy.
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What To Know
One of the five new polls was a CBS News/YouGov survey, conducted between March 17 to 20. In total, 3,335 U.S. adults participated and the outcome revealed that 60 percent said they disapprove of the way Trump is handling his job as president.
This marked a net percentage point drop in approval of 20, according to RealClear Polling. Some 49 percent of participants also said they "strongly disapprove" of Trump's actions as president, while 24 percent said they "strongly approve."
For the economy, inflation and immigration, more participants disapproved than approved the way Trump was handling the policy areas.
Disapproval of how he was handling the situation in Iran was 62 percent, while 32 percent believed the U.S. economy would be in recession next year. Of those polled, 52 percent felt Trump's policies were making them "financially worse off." The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percent.
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A Quantus Insights poll, conducted between March 17 and 18, found that, of the 1,064 likely voters surveyed, 55 percent disapproved of the way Trump was doing his job, while 44 percent approved—this marked a net percentage of -11, according to RealClear Polling.
In this survey, the conflict in Iran was also a divisive issue, as it was found that 55 percent strongly disapprove of Trump’s handling of the U.S.-Iran war, while 32 percent strongly approve.
The poll also found that if the 2026 House election was held today, 47 percent of likely voters would give the power to the Democrats while 42 percent would give it to the Republicans. The poll had a margin of error of plus of minus 3 percent.
A Daily Mail/JL Partners poll, conducted between March 18 and March 20, found that, based on the responses of 1,037 registered voters, Trump's approval rating has dropped to 42 percent.
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This was down from 44 percent at the start of the month, and down from 48 percent in late January. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent.
The survey found that Trump's actions in regard to the conflict in the Middle East was a major driver of the participants' frustrations. Inflation was also another key factor negatively influencing the voters' sentiment toward the president.
A survey by Rasmussen Reports, conducted between March 15 and 19, found that Trump's approval rating dropped as well. Of the 1,500 likely voters who participated in the poll, 54 percent disapproved of Trump's performance as president, while 45 percent approved, marking a net rating of -9 percent, according to RealClear Polling. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percent.
The last poll of the five, one conducted by RMG Research between March 11 and 19, found that 53 percent of participants disapproved of Trump's actions as president, while 46 percent approved. This was a net rating of minus 7 percent. The poll surveyed 3,000 registered voters, and had a margin of error of almost 2 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."
A White House official also previously told Newsweek that polling shows Trump’s decision to launch Operation Epic Fury has received strong support among Republicans and Make America Great Again (MAGA) voters, including younger Republican men, and pointed to multiple surveys, including from The Washington Post, NBC, YouGov and CNN, showing broad GOP approval and overwhelming backing among self‑identified MAGA Republicans.
What Happens Next
With the U.S. midterms drawing closer, Trump's favor among voters is important. Given that Congress will soon be up for grabs, and a key forecaster shifted six major governor races in favor of the Democratic Party, securing and keeping the favor of the American people is vital for the White House.
Update 3/23/26, 9:15 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from a White House spokesperson.
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