Shafaqna Pakistan: President Donald Trump’s approval rating has risen slightly from a record low, while a new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows increased support for Democrats in the US congressional elections.
The four-day nationwide survey, conducted after the Republican Party’s first-ever midterm convention, found that 63 per cent of Americans disapproved of Trump’s proposal to provide every American with a $5,000 dividend if Republicans retain control of Congress in November. The proposal was opposed by four in 10 Republicans and nine in 10 Democrats.
Trump’s overall approval stood at 35 per cent, up from 33 per cent in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted from August 28 to 31, when his rating reached its lowest level of his presidency. The latest poll surveyed 1,143 Americans nationwide and has a margin of error of three percentage points in either direction.
On a generic congressional ballot, 44 per cent of respondents said they would vote for a Democratic candidate compared with 37 per cent for a Republican candidate if the election were held at the time of the survey. Reuters noted that such national polling reflects overall public sentiment but does not capture the state- and district-level dynamics that determine control of Congress.
Some 35% of Americans give Trump a thumbs up for his performance in the White House, up from 33% in an August 28 to 31 Reuters/Ipsos poll, the lowest of his political career.
Trump’s popularity has declined since he launched a war on Iran in February that has disrupted oil shipments from the Middle East and pushed fuel prices near record highs, hitting U.S. household finances. Since the war started, Trump’s Republicans have also lost some support, and in recent weeks have lost their longtime edge as the better party for economic policy.
DEMOCRATS’ ELECTORAL EDGE
Asked which party they would vote for if the congressional elections were held today in what is known as a “generic ballot” poll, 44% picked Democrats and 37% picked Republicans. The 7-point gap was the widest since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025. For Republicans, losing control of either chamber could complicate Trump’s agenda in the last two years of his term.
Generic ballot polls are national polls that provide an overall view of which party poll respondents want to see in charge in Congress. While these polls provide a view of national public sentiment, they do not capture all the nuances of the state-by-state and district-by-district contests that determine control of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, contests in which Republicans hold some structural advantages.
Voters picked Democrats over Republicans as the better stewards of the economy – 38% to 37% – with Democrats gaining that edge over the summer for the first time in about a decade.
Trump’s construction projects throughout the U.S. capital – including a ballroom for the White House – were largely polarizing and viewed through a partisan lens, with 91% of Democrats in the survey saying they opposed the plans, compared to one in four Republicans who were against them.
Some two-thirds of Americans – including half of Republicans – considered the construction projects to be a low priority.
Source: Dunya News
