Trump approval up from record low, but outlook sours for Republicans, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

• US President Donald Trump's approval rating rose slightly to 35%, recovering from a record low of 33%, but remains low amid economic concerns and international tensions.
• A Reuters/Ipsos poll shows a growing preference for Democrats, with 44% favouring them over 37% for Republicans in upcoming congressional elections, marking the largest gap since 2025.
• Voters now see Democrats as better economic managers for the first time in a decade, while Trump's US capital construction projects face strong opposition, especially from Democrats and some Republicans.

WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump’s public approval rating rose from a record low, while Americans voiced growing support for Democrats gaining power in the US Congress in a Reuters/Ipsos poll taken in the days after the Republican Party’s first-ever midterm convention last week.

The four-day poll showed 63 per cent of Americans – including four in 10 Republicans and nine in 10 Democrats – disapproved of Trump’s offer made in his convention speech that he would ensure all Americans get a US$5,000 (S$6,360) dividend if Republicans retain control of the US Congress in November’s midterm elections.

The survey gathered responses from 1,143 Americans nationwide and had a margin of error of 3 percentage points in either direction.

Some 35 per cent of Americans give Trump a thumbs up for his performance in the White House, up from 33 per cent in an Aug 28 to Aug 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 US 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.

Asked which party they would vote for if the congressional elections were held today in what is known as a “generic ballot” poll, 44 per cent picked Democrats and 37 per cent picked Republicans.

The seven-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 US 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 per cent to 37 per cent – with Democrats gaining that edge over the summer for the first time in about a decade.

Trump’s construction projects throughout the US capital – including a ballroom for the White House – were largely polarising and viewed through a partisan lens, with 91 per cent of Democrats in the survey saying they opposed the plans, compared to one in four Republicans who were against them.

About two-thirds of Americans – including half of Republicans – considered the construction projects to be a low priority. REUTERS