Topline

President Donald Trump’s approval rating ticked up this week as voters warmed to his handling of the cost of living, according to the latest survey that comes as Trump kicks off a tour to address Americans’ economic concerns.

U,S. President Donald Trump in Washington, DC, on Dec. 4, 2025.

AFP via Getty Images

Timeline

Dec. 9**-16 net approval rating: **Trump’s approval rating ticked up to 41% from 38% in late November in the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll released Tuesday, while his disapproval rating decreased from 60% to 57% (the poll of 4,434 U.S. adults was conducted Dec. 3-8 and has a two-point margin of error).

The uptick coincides with an increase in his performance on the cost of living—from 26% last month to 31% this month among all respondents, driven by a 10-point gain among Republican voters.

Trump has sought to improve voters’ views on his handling of the economy, kicking off an “affordability tour” Tuesday in Pennsylvania.

**-14 net approval rating: **The New York Times’s polling average on Friday found Trump had a 42% approval rating and 55% disapproval rating after several weeks of declining support.

The data shows voters increasingly disapprove of his handling of the economy—net approval of his economic performance has fallen across surveys—with just 26% percent of respondents believing Trump is doing a good job at managing the cost of living, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.

Trump has also seen faltering numbers from within his own party and one-time supporters: Only 75% of Republicans approved of his handling of the economy in November, down from 82% in July, according to Marquette University polling, and his approval rating among white, college-educated men has dropped to 40% from 47% in June, according polling from Fox News.

Dec. 2**-19: **The Economist/YouGov’s weekly poll of 1,628 U.S. adults taken Nov. 28-Dec. 1 found Trump has a 38% approval rating and 57% disapproval rating, the seventh straight week his net approval rating is -15 or lower (the survey has a margin of error of 3.2).

In Trump’s first term, his net approval rating never dipped to or below -15 for more than three consecutive weeks, YouGov noted.

Biden had a -9 net approval rating at this point in his term and Trump had a -15 net approval rating at this point in his first term, according to Economist/YouGov polling.

Nov. 19**-17: **Trump’s approval rating declined two points, to 39%, in the latest NPR/PBS/Marist poll compared to the groups’ September survey, and his disapproval rating increased from 53% to 56% (the poll of 1,443 U.S. adults was conducted Nov. 10-13 and has a three-point margin of error).

The poll also found Democrats have an advantage headed into next year’s midterms, with 55% of respondents saying they were more likely to vote for the Democrat in their district, compared to 41% who said they would vote for the Republican candidate.

Nov. 18**-22: **Trump’s approval rating fell to 38% in the latest Reuters/Ipsos survey released Tuesday, a two-point decline from its previous poll and a low-point for Trump’s second term in the groups’ weekly polls (the latest survey of 1,017 voters conducted Nov. 14-17 has a three-point margin of error).

The poll also found just 20% approve of Trump’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, while 70% of all adults believe the government is hiding Epstein’s alleged client list and 61% believe it’s hiding information on his death.

Nov. 13**-18: **Trump’s 40% approval rating was unchanged from last week’s Reuters/Ipsos poll, while his disapproval rating increased one point, to 58%, according to the survey of 938 registered U.S. voters conducted Nov. 7-12 (margin of error 6).

The poll—conducted after Republicans lost crucial races in New Jersey, Virginia and New York City on Nov. 4—also found a larger share of Democrats, 44%, are “very enthusiastic” about voting in next year’s midterm elections, compared to 26% of Republicans.

Nov. 10**-10: **Trump’s 44% approval rating is a low point for Morning Consult’s weekly polling in the latest survey taken Nov. 7-9 of 2,201 registered U.S. voters, with a two-point margin of error, while 54% disapprove.

Nov. 10**-7: **Trump’s approval rating slid to a second-term low of 44% in the latest Harvard CAPS/Harris poll of 2,000 registered voters taken Nov. 4-6 (margin of error 1.99).

Trump’s approval ratings on nine key issues the survey has asked about have slid below 50%, with his handling of crime and immigration receiving the highest marks.

The Harvard CAPS/Harris poll also found 75% oppose the government shutdown and 53% blame Republicans versus Democrats.

Nov. 3A CNN poll conducted by SSRS found Trump’s approval rating dropped to 37%—the lowest recorded by the network during his second term in office, but not quite as low as his 36% approval rating ten months into his first term.

However, Trump’s disapproval rating also reached 63%, one point higher than his 62% disapproval rating when he left office in 2021.

When asked which party they would vote for in next year’s midterm elections, Democrats maintained a small five-point lead ahead of Republicans among registered voters—but a notably smaller advantage compared to the 11-point lead the party held over Republicans at the same point in 2017 before the 2018 midterms.

Nov. 2Trump fared slightly better with a 41% approval rating and 59% disapproval rating in a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll conducted in October.

About 63% of respondents to that poll found Trump was “out of touch” with Americans—but even more (68%) said the same about the Democratic Party.

Big Number

41%. That’s Trump’s average approval rating so far during his second term, slightly higher than his 41% average approval rating throughout the duration of his first term, according to Gallup.