President Donald Trump’s net approval rating is positive in just six states, according to The Economist’s projection using YouGov’s data. The outlet notes that the president’s net approval nationwide is -21 percent as of earlier this month.
The Economist’s projection linked Trump’s overall unpopularity to voter pessimism about the economy and inflation, factors that historically weigh on the president’s party during midterms.
Trump has landed record or near‑record lows among other key voting blocs, including Gen Z and Independent voters, potentially compounding headwinds for the White House and GOP amid public concern over the cost of living and the war with Iran.
What To Know
The president has touted winning all of the swing states during the 2024 presidential election, and the projection shared by The Economist shows he is underwater in all those states: Georgia, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina and Nevada.
The states in which Trump has a positive net approval rating projection are Idaho, North Dakota, Wyoming, West Virginia, Tennessee and Oklahoma. He won all of these states versus former Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential election.
Below is a map showing the president’s projected approval rating in every state, according to The Economist:
The Economist‘s graph shows that on May 4, Trump’s net approval was -21 percent, versus former President Joe Biden’s at this point in time being -8 percent, and Trump’s during his first term at -11 percent.
The projection says in part that “Mr Trump’s voters still overwhelmingly approve of his performance as president. But the projection also shows how dissatisfaction with Mr Trump is widespread even in states that voted for him in 2024. The numbers will make anxious reading for Republicans facing competitive races in this year’s midterm elections.”
Grant Davis Reeher, professor of political science at Syracuse University, told Newsweek on Monday when asked if the positive approval in the six states could help midterms in those areas, “I see this as another way to say that his approval rating overall is low and has been dropping. I don’t see anything particularly revealing here. Remember, the 2024 election was pretty close, if you look beyond the Electoral College.”
In an email to Newsweek earlier this month about unfavorable polling, White House spokesman Davis Ingle said, “The ultimate poll was November 5, 2024, when nearly 80 million Americans overwhelmingly elected President Trump to deliver on his popular and commonsense agenda.
“No other President in history has accomplished more for the American people than President Trump, who is working tirelessly to create jobs, cool inflation, increase housing affordability, and more. The President has already made historic progress not only in America but around the world, and this is just the beginning as his agenda continues taking effect.”
What Recent Polls Show
Trump’s approval rating had recently slumped to its lowest point yet at 35 percent in aggregate polling, while his disapproval rating sat at 64 percent, according to CNN’s Poll of Polls earlier this month.
The Poll of Polls tracks the president’s average approval and disapproval ratings in national surveys and does not have a margin of error. According to CNN, Trump’s approval average has been in the upper 30s since January, spiking to 40 percent in February.
In a poll from The Economist and YouGov earlier this month, however, Trump’s overall approval rating was 36 percent versus a 58 percent disapproval rating. Among Hispanics, Trump’s approval rating was 40 percent versus 52 percent disapproval.
The poll surveyed 1,573 U.S. adults from May 1 to May 4 and has a margin of error of 3.4 percent.
The last time Trump’s approval rating among Hispanics hit 40 percent with the pollster was in a survey from February 27 to March 2. His disapproval rating in that poll was 57 percent. This shows the president’s approval surged with the sizable electorate.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll taken from May 8 to May 11 shows the president’s overall approval rating at 36 percent versus a 63 percent disapproval rating, resulting in a net approval of -27 percent. In the previous survey by the pollster, Trump’s net approval rating was -30 percent.
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