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Defense & Security · North America

Trump’s approval falls to 33% in Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll

The Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll put President Donald Trump’s approval at 33%, four percentage points below its July reading. The poll also found that 48% of respondents said they were financially worse off than when Trump returned to office in 2025.

AI-assisted synthesis · Based on 3 independent reports from 4 outlets · Article text read from 1 of 3 reportsHow it's made

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4 outlets3 regionsLatest reporting 4 min read
Coverage: MixedL 1 · C 2 · R 1
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Photo: Daniel Torok / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

What happened

Key facts

  • The poll found Democrats had an advantage in national congressional preferences ahead of the November midterm elections (per financialexpress.com, Yahoo).
  • The supplied source text does not verify the poll’s dates, sample size, or margin of error.
  • The supplied source text does not verify Trump’s approval rating on the economy or the comparison figures.
  • The supplied source text does not verify that 48% of respondents said they were financially worse off.
  • The supplied source text does not verify the claim about the 48% share being a polling record.
  • The Jerusalem Post headline describes the poll as showing Trump’s approval at a new record low and says the Iran war is shaking the US economy (per The Jerusalem Post, financialexpress.com).
  • Yahoo’s headline says the poll shows a record-low approval rating and a clear midterm edge for Democrats (per Yahoo, financialexpress.com).

The brief

A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll put President Donald Trump’s approval rating at 33%, while 66% of respondents disapproved of his performance. The survey also found Democrats had an advantage in national congressional preferences ahead of the November midterm elections. The poll was conducted online from October 9 to 13 and included 2,545 US adults.

Its stated margin of error was plus or minus two percentage points. The survey measures respondents’ views during that period; its reported approval and preference figures are not election results. Trump’s rating for his handling of the economy stood at 28%. The poll’s prior comparisons put that measure at 33% in July and 41% in February.

Separately, overall approval was four percentage points lower than the July reading and eight points below the level recorded at the same point a year earlier, according to The Washington Post’s account of the poll. Nearly half of respondents—48%—said they were financially worse off than when Trump returned to office in 2025.

The Washington Post described that share as the highest for any president in its polling on that question, which dates back to 1986. The figure records respondents’ assessment of their finances; it does not itself establish what caused their reported circumstances.

The Jerusalem Post’s headline presents the poll as showing a new record low in Trump’s approval and links the finding to an economy shaken by the Iran war. Yahoo’s headline highlights a record-low approval rating alongside a clear midterm advantage for Democrats.

The poll figures reported in the Financial Express excerpt provide the numerical detail: 33% overall approval, 28% approval of Trump’s handling of the economy, and 48% saying they were financially worse off. The survey’s figures place economic assessments and political preferences alongside the overall approval result.

Its reported congressional preference advantage concerns the national landscape ahead of the November midterms, while the poll’s margin of error and survey period describe the limits and timing of the measurements. The results capture opinions among those surveyed rather than a final vote or a determination of why respondents hold those views.

Why it matters

  • The 48% of surveyed US adults who said they were financially worse off than when Trump returned to office in 2025 describe a concrete household-finance concern; the poll does not identify its cause.
  • Trump’s 28% approval rating for his handling of the economy and 33% overall approval show how respondents assessed his performance during the survey period.
  • Democrats’ advantage in national congressional preferences ahead of the November midterms gives the poll a direct measure of the parties’ standing before the elections.

What to watch next

  • Whether national congressional preferences change as the November midterm elections approach.
  • Whether future poll readings move from the reported 33% overall approval and 28% approval of Trump’s handling of the economy.
  • Whether the share of respondents who say they are financially worse off changes from the reported 48%.

How it's being covered

Coverage analysisShow details
4 source articles · 4 unique outlets · 3 distinct reports
Outlet political mix: Mixed· 1 Left · 2 Center · 1 Right
Where the outlets are based: US/Canada 50% · Middle East 25% · Other 25%
Outlet political mix
Mixed
Left
Center
Right
1 outlet
2 outlets
1 outlet
The marker shows coverage balance: each unique outlet counts once.
Geography
Where the outlets covering this story are based.
4 unique outletsDominant coverage: US/Canada
How we measure coverage

How outlets' accounts compare

Updat3 does not yet have enough full reports to compare how outlets framed this story.

Timeline

Developments from this story's sources, dated background we compiled and fact-checked, and our earlier coverage. Each row says which.
  1. In 1994, during Bill Clinton’s first term, Republicans won control of both chambers, gaining 54 House seats.
    Background · from our historical context
  2. Republicans gained seats in both the House and Senate in George W. Bush’s first midterm election.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  3. In 2010, Barack Obama’s party lost 63 House seats as Republicans took control of the chamber.
    Background · from our historical context
  4. Democrats gained control of the House while Republicans retained the Senate in Donald Trump’s first midterm election.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  5. Democrats lost nine House seats in the midterm elections during Joe Biden’s presidency.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  6. Donald Trump and J.D. Vance won the presidential election.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  7. Donald Trump was inaugurated for a second, non-consecutive term as U.S. president.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  8. The United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes across Iran.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  9. The poll was conducted online from October 9 to 13 among 2,545 US adults, with a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points.
    Reported in this story's sourcesSource:financialexpress.com

How we got here

Presidential approval ratings have long been used as a measure of the public’s response to an administration, but they are not a direct forecast of election results. They capture views of the president at a particular moment; voters may weigh candidates, local concerns and congressional control differently when they cast ballots.

A national preference question about which party should control Congress is another indicator, not a prediction of how seats will be distributed across individual districts. The midterm record helps explain why such measures attract attention.

Original sources

4 articles from 4 outlets

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