Cost of living and Epstein scandal drop Trump’s approval rating to 38%
The nine percentage point drop since January leaves his overall popularity close to the lowest levels seen during his first term and close to the weakest ratings of his Democratic predecessor in the White House, Joe Biden. Biden’s approval rating fell to 35%, while Trump’s first-term popularity fell to 33%.
Republican support
Trump has faced a series of crises during his political career, including lawsuits after his first term related to attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat. Through it all, he has maintained a strong level of support among Republican voters. The new Reuters/Ipsos poll recorded his approval rating among Republicans at 82%, down from 87% at the beginning of the month.
This year, the president has been particularly dogged by perceptions that he is not doing enough to help families with daily expenses, an issue that has also hit Biden’s administration hard and contributed to Trump’s victory over Biden’s vice president, Kamala Harris, in last year’s presidential election. “It’s all about pricing,” said Doug Heye, a Republican political strategist. “People get mad when they go out and spend money in the supermarket and they can’t believe what they’re spending.”
Just 26% of Americans say Trump is doing a good job managing the cost of living, compared with 29% earlier this month. The pace of inflation has remained high relative to historical standards since Trump took office in January. US consumer prices rose 3% in the 12 months to September, even as the labor market weakened. About 65% of respondents, including one in three Republicans, disapprove of Trump’s performance on the cost of living.
The main thrust of Trump’s economic policy has been to increase taxes on imported goods to support American production, but many economists believe this policy has led to higher prices. Expressing frustration with public perceptions of his handling of the economy, Trump last week reduced import taxes on coffee, beef, bananas and other staples.
