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Politics · North America

NBC poll puts Trump approval at 34% as 71% say U.S. is on wrong track

The NBC News poll found that 34% of U.S. adults approved of Donald Trump’s performance, while 66% disapproved. It also found that 71% said the country was on the wrong track, the highest share recorded during his second term.

AI-assisted synthesis · Based on 3 outlets' reporting · Article text read from 2 of 3 outletsHow it's made

View timeline · 10 entries
3 outlets3 regionsLatest reporting 3 min read
Coverage: Too few ratedL 1 · C 1 · R 0 · 1 unrated
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Photo: Daniel Torok / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

What happened

Key facts

  • The NBC News poll found that 34% of U.S. adults approved of Donald Trump’s performance and 66% disapproved (per NBC News, aa.com.tr).
  • The poll found that 71% of U.S. adults believed the country was on the wrong track, the highest percentage recorded during Trump’s second term (per NBC News, aa.com.tr).
  • The poll found that 51% of respondents strongly disapproved of Trump’s performance, a second-term high (per NBC News).
  • Among U.S. adults, 58% said Trump’s policies were hurting the country, while 28% said they were helping it (per NBC News).
  • The poll found respondents unhappy with economic conditions and distrustful of both major political parties (per NBC News).
  • Fifty-two percent of U.S. adults said Trump’s administration was more corrupt than previous administrations; about one in four said it was less corrupt, and another one in four said it was about as corrupt (per NBC News).

The brief

The NBC News poll found that 34% of U.S. adults approved of Donald Trump’s performance, while 66% disapproved. It also found that 71% believed the country was on the wrong track, the highest share recorded during Trump’s second term. The poll’s findings describe public sentiment rather than a vote or a change in government.

NBC reported that 51% of respondents strongly disapproved of Trump’s performance, also a second-term high. The figures indicate that disapproval extended beyond respondents who selected a general unfavorable view. The economy featured prominently in the results.

According to the poll figures reported by aa.com.tr, 31% of respondents named the economy as the most important issue, and 44% said their financial situation had worsened over the past year. NBC’s account likewise reported unhappiness with economic conditions, alongside distrust of both major political parties.

Views of Trump’s policies were also negative overall: 58% of U.S. adults said the policies were hurting the country, compared with 28% who said they were helping. Separately, 52% characterized Trump’s administration as more corrupt than previous administrations. About one in four respondents described it as less corrupt, while another one in four said it was about as corrupt.

These are respondents’ assessments, not findings of misconduct by a court or other named investigative body. The poll also measured preferences for control of Congress among registered voters. Fifty-five percent preferred Democrats to control Congress, while 45% preferred Republicans.

NBC presented that result as a warning sign for Republican majorities; aa.com.tr framed it as a potential challenge for the party in power ahead of the November midterm elections. The two accounts report the same voter split but emphasize its political implications in different terms.

Together, the findings show low presidential approval alongside broad dissatisfaction with the country’s direction, economic conditions and political parties. The poll reports attitudes at the time it was conducted; it does not establish how respondents will vote or whether the reported preferences will determine congressional control.

Why it matters

  • Trump’s standing is a concrete political cost: 66% of U.S. adults disapproved of his performance, while 51% strongly disapproved.
  • Economic concerns affect respondents’ household assessments: 44% said their financial situation had worsened over the past year, and 31% named the economy as the most important issue.
  • The congressional preference split has direct stakes for the parties: 55% of registered voters preferred Democratic control, against 45% who preferred Republican control.
  • Public judgments about the administration are sharply negative: 52% called it more corrupt than previous administrations, while about one in four said less corrupt and another one in four said about as corrupt.

What to watch next

  • Whether voters’ stated preference for Democratic control of Congress—55% to 45% among registered voters—holds in the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
  • Whether the 71% saying the country is on the wrong track is reflected in voters’ choices in the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
  • Whether economic concerns remain prominent among voters, given that 31% named the economy as the most important issue and 44% said their finances had worsened over the past year.

How it's being covered

Coverage analysisShow details
3 source articles · 3 unique outlets
Outlet political mix: Too few rated· 1 Left · 1 Center · 1 unrated
Where the outlets are based: US/Canada 33% · Europe 33% · Other 34%
Outlet political mix
Too few rated
Left
Center
Right
1 outlet
1 outlet
0 outlets
The marker shows coverage balance: each unique outlet counts once. 1 unrated outlet is not included.
Geography
Where the outlets covering this story are based.
3 unique outletsDominant coverage: US/Canada
How we measure coverage

How outlets' accounts compare

1 framing difference · 1 uncorroborated claim
The reports repeat the same account with different emphasis; its central claims are not independently confirmed in the reporting Updat3 read.Compared across 2 reports whose article text Updat3 read; 1 other outlet was checked by headline only.
Framing / emphasis differences
Sources emphasise different angles, actors or consequences of the same reporting.
  • NBC characterizes the 55%-45% preference for Democratic control of Congress as a warning sign for Republican majorities; aa.com.tr describes it as a potential challenge for the party in power.
Updat3: These are differences of emphasis, not disputes about what is reported. They do not show that the reported claims are true.
One-sided or uncorroborated claims
Claims that come from one party or one source family and are not independently corroborated.
  • NBC reported that 51% of respondents strongly disapproved of Trump’s performance, a second-term high.
Updat3: Not independently corroborated yet — treat as a claim, not an established fact.

Timeline

Developments from this story's sources, dated background we compiled and fact-checked, and our earlier coverage. Each row says which.
  1. The 17th Amendment, ratified in 1913, established the direct election of senators.
    Background · from our historical context
  2. George Gallup’s American Institute of Public Opinion began conducting public-opinion surveys.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  3. The House impeached President Donald Trump over his dealings with Ukraine.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  4. The Senate acquitted Donald Trump in his first impeachment trial.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  5. The House impeached Donald Trump after the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  6. The Senate acquitted Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  7. Donald Trump and J.D. Vance won the presidential election.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  8. The election also gave Republicans control of both chambers of Congress: the new Congress convened on January 3, 2025, with a Republican majority in the House and Senate.
    Background · from our historical context
  9. Donald Trump was inaugurated for a second, non-consecutive term as U.S. president.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  10. President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs on imports from U.S. trading partners.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3

How we got here

Donald Trump’s return to the presidency followed the November 5, 2024, election, when he won 312 electoral votes and the national popular vote; he was inaugurated on January 20, 2025. The election also gave Republicans control of both chambers of Congress: the new Congress convened on January 3, 2025, with a Republican majority in the House and Senate.

That governing arrangement preceded the November 3, 2026, midterm elections, when voters were scheduled to choose every House member and roughly one-third of the Senate. Gallup’s presidential approval surveys recorded an average approval rating of 41% for Trump from 2017 to 2021, the lowest first-term average in the polling organization’s series.

Original sources

1 of 3 articles · US/Canada · Show all

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