Trump approval falls to 33% in Post-ABC poll ahead of midterms
President Donald Trump’s approval rating stands at 33% ahead of November’s midterm elections, a record low in the ABC News/Washington Post survey, with disapproval at 66%. The October 2026 poll was conducted jointly by The Washington Post, ABC News and Ipsos. The Guardian
Two-thirds of Americans, 66%, said Trump is using the presidency to enrich himself, according to the poll. That share is up 12 points since last September. The view was held by 95% of Democrats and 69% of independents, according to ABC News, and by 34% of Republicans. Among non-MAGA Republicans, 51% held that view. ABC News
The economy weighed heavily in the results. Three-quarters of Americans, 75%, rated economic conditions as either 'not so good' or 'poor'. Almost half, 48%, said they are financially worse off than when Trump returned to office in 2025. The Post said that is the highest percentage for any president in the poll series since 1986.
On the economy, 37% of respondents said they trust Democrats more, compared with 28% who trust Republicans. Democrats led Republicans in House vote choice ahead of the midterms, according to the poll. Yahoo
On democratic institutions, 67% of those surveyed said Trump is not committed to protecting freedom of the press. A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from enforcing a ban on CNN, MS Now and Politico from White House grounds. Separately, 61% said Trump is not committed to free and fair elections, up five percentage points from October 2025.
On voting administration, the Department of Justice sued California after the state did not supply citizenship status of about 20,000 people it claimed to be non-citizens.
Trump was due to head to Kansas on Monday to campaign for Republican incumbent Senator Roger Marshall, followed by events in North Carolina, South Carolina, Iowa, Florida, Georgia and Michigan.
