A CNN/SSRS poll conducted July 16, 2026 and published on CNN.com July 29 finds Donald Trump's approval rating at 34%, tying his previous low after the January 6, 2021 insurrection. The survey landed less than 100 days before the November 2026 midterm elections, capturing a broad decline in public sentiment across foreign policy, the economy, and perceptions of Trump's personal fitness for office. Republicans now hold a narrow congressional majority in an environment that is shifting against them.

The poll's headline figure: 73% of Americans say Trump is not paying enough attention to the country's most important problems, a level both CNN and SSRS describe as a "record-high" (CNN). Two-thirds of respondents say Trump puts himself above the needs of the United States, and 73% say he is not in touch with the problems Americans face day to day.

On the war in Iran, the numbers are particularly stark. Only 28% approve of Trump's handling of the conflict, and just 25% say the war has been worth the cost and American lives lost. The breadth of opposition suggests the administration's Iran policy has become a liability not only among Democratic-leaning voters but across a wide portion of the electorate. The same July 2026 CNN/SSRS poll shows voters favoring Democrats by an 8-point margin on the generic congressional ballot — a standard poll question that asks which party voters would support in their local House race, used as a broad measure of party strength (CNN). The Iran numbers may be compounding the damage, linking frustration over foreign policy to broader doubts about presidential competence.

Economic indicators in the survey show sharp deterioration since earlier in the year. Seventy-four percent of respondents say rising gas prices have caused at least some hardship, up from 63% in March 2026. On the cost of everyday goods, 71% say Trump has not gone far enough in reducing prices, up from 58% a year earlier. The pace of decline on gas-price hardship — an 11-point jump in roughly four months — signals that energy costs are feeding a wider sense that the administration is losing ground on pocketbook issues.

Immigration, the signature issue of Trump's political brand, shows a more complicated pattern. Only 39% rate his performance positively, while 54% say he has gone too far in mass deporting undocumented immigrants. The simultaneous erosion of approval on the issue and the majority view that deportation policy has overreached suggests a squeeze: aggressive enforcement may be energizing opposition without consolidating support among the coalition that delivered Trump's mandate. This dynamic is notable because immigration has historically been a relative strength in Trump's polling profile.

The poll also registers doubts about Trump's personal capacity to serve. Fifty-seven percent say the 80-year-old president lacks the stamina and sharpness to serve effectively. This finding sits alongside the 73% who say he is out of touch with everyday problems, painting a picture in which majorities question both Trump's engagement and his physical fitness for office.

The full poll instrument and results are available on DocumentCloud at documentcloud.org/documents/28520039-cnn-july-poll-conducted-by-ssrs, and the SSRS Political & Election Polling page lists the survey under its July 16, 2026 field date (Guardian).

The broader context here is that these data points do not exist in isolation. A 34% approval rating, an 8-point Democratic edge on the generic ballot, majority disapproval on Iran, deteriorating economic sentiment, and questions about fitness for office would each independently constitute a warning for the White House. Their simultaneity is what gives the poll its weight. Republicans now enter the final stretch of the midterm cycle defending not a single vulnerable front but a collapsing perimeter — and when multiple problems reinforce each other rather than offsetting, the political damage tends to compound rather than cancel out.