Donald Trump Approval Rating During US Midterm Elections 2026 | Approval & Disapproval Rate & Historical Records

Donald Trump Approval Rating During US Midterm Elections 2026 stood at 39% approve and 61% disapprove in the Washington Post/NORC post-election survey of November 4, with 50% strongly disapproving. That is below the 44% rating he held at the 2018 midterms, and more than 9 in 10 strong disapprovers backed Democratic House candidates.

Donald Trump Approval Rating During US Midterm Elections 2026 – Introduction

Donald Trump Approval Rating During US Midterm Elections became the defining number of the 2026 campaign. Voters treated the midterms as a referendum on the president, and the president lost it. Democrats won control of the House and the Senate, and The Washington Post reported that voter anger over high prices and the war in Iran drove the result. The post-election survey puts his approval at 39%, five points under his 2018 level.

This report tracks the rating from every angle: the post-election survey, the final October polls, polling averages, party and independent groups, the 2018 comparison, and the long Gallup record of presidents at midterm time. It uses survey data from the Washington Post, NORC, ABC News, Ipsos, CNN, and AP, plus Gallup and the American Presidency Project at UC Santa Barbara. Polls differ by sample and method, so each table names its source. Each section pairs a chart with a table and a two-paragraph breakdown, so readers can scan the data or read the analysis.

Interesting Facts About Donald Trump Approval Rating During US Midterm Elections 2026

POST-ELECTION SURVEY, NOVEMBER 4, 2026

Approve              ████████████████████  39%
Disapprove           ██████████████████████████████▌  61%
Strongly disapprove  █████████████████████████  50%

Source: Washington Post/NORC post-election survey (November 4, 2026); ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll (October 2026); Gallup midterm approval analysis.

The headline numbers are 39% approve and 61% disapprove, a net rating of -22. Half of respondents, 50%, strongly disapprove. That intensity matters more than the topline. The earlier Post-ABC-Ipsos poll found a record low of 33% in October, and independents were at 22% approve.

History explains why these numbers carry weight. Gallup finds that presidents below 50% approval see their party lose 37 House seats on average at midterm time. Presidents above 50% lose 14. Trump’s 39% sits well into the danger zone, and Democrats took both chambers. Taken together, the facts show a president with a shrinking base and an energized opposition. Approval, disapproval, and strong disapproval all moved the same way.

Trump Approval Rating in the 2026 Post-Election Survey: Approve vs Disapprove

WASHINGTON POST/NORC, NOVEMBER 4, 2026 (each █ = 3 points)

Approve              █████████████  39%
Disapprove           ████████████████████▌  61%
Strongly disapprove  ████████████████▌  50%
2018 approval        ██████████████▌  44%

Source: Washington Post/NORC post-election survey (November 4, 2026); Gallup (2018 final reading).

Trump’s approval was 39%, and 61% disapproved. The net rating of -22 means disapprovers outnumbered approvers by nearly three to two. Half the sample strongly disapproved. Strong disapprovers make up about 82% of everyone who disapproved, so soft disapproval is rare in this survey. Voters who dislike him mostly dislike him intensely. A president with that profile has few persuadable opponents left to win back before the next cycle begins.

The 2018 comparison is direct. Trump held 44% approval at those midterms, and his party lost 40 House seats. In 2026 he sits 5 points lower. Midterms work as referendums on the sitting president, and this survey shows voters rejecting him more firmly than they did eight years ago. The survey also shows how little room he had to recover. Strong disapprovers alone outnumber all approvers by 11 points.

Strong Disapproval and the 2026 House Vote for Democratic Candidates

STRONG DISAPPROVERS AND THEIR HOUSE VOTE (each █ = 2 points)

Strongly disapprove              █████████████████████████  50%
Strong disapprovers backing Dems ██████████████████████▌    90%+ of the 50%
Somewhat disapprove              █████▌                     11%

Source: Washington Post/NORC post-election survey (November 4, 2026); share of respondents calculated from the survey figures.

Half of respondents strongly disapproved, and more than 90% of them backed Democratic House candidates. Multiply those two figures and the result is more than 45% of all respondents. One group delivered nearly half the sample as Democratic votes. That is the core of the Democratic win. Strong feelings turned into party-line votes.

The other disapprovers added the margin. The 11% who disapproved without strong feeling sit between the strong disapprovers and the 39% who approve. A party needs a bit more than half of a sample to win a House majority, so the 45% base plus a share of the 11% gave Democrats room to build a majority. The pattern fits a long-standing midterm rule: voters who feel strongly about the president vote on that feeling, and the president’s opponent collects the votes.

Trump Approval Rating in the Final October 2026 Midterm Polls

TRUMP APPROVAL, FINAL OCTOBER 2026 POLLS (each █ = 2 points)

CNN/SSRS (Oct 15-18)          ████████████████  32%
Post-ABC-Ipsos (Oct 9-13)     ████████████████▌  33%
NBC News                      █████████████████  34%
AP-NORC (Oct 8-12)            █████████████████▌  35%
Fox News                      ██████████████████  36%
Marist (Oct 19-20, RV)        ███████████████████  38%

Source: CNN/SSRS, ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos, NBC News, AP-NORC, Fox News, and NPR/PBS/Marist polls (October 2026).

Every final October poll put Trump’s approval between 32% and 38%. CNN recorded the low at 32%. The Post-ABC-Ipsos poll found 33% approve and 66% disapprove, with 52% strongly disapproving, and called it a record personal low. AP-NORC measured 35% approve and 64% disapprove.

The post-election survey at 39% is higher than most October polls. Marist’s registered voter sample, at 38%, comes closest. Differences come from sample choice: adults, registered voters, and likely voters answer differently, and registered voter samples ran a few points friendlier to Trump. The Post poll showed 37% approval among registered voters against 33% among all adults. Timing matters too. Most of these polls closed about two weeks or more before Election Day, and later surveys can capture a final shift.

Trump Approval Rating Polling Averages Before the 2026 Midterms

POLLING AGGREGATES, OCTOBER 30, 2026 (each █ = 2 points)

Economist            █████████████████  34.0%
FiftyPlusOne         █████████████████▌  35.3%
Decision Desk HQ     ███████████████████▌  39.1%

Source: Decision Desk HQ, FiftyPlusOne, and The Economist polling averages (October 30, 2026).

Three averages from October 30 show how methods change the picture. Decision Desk HQ had Trump at 39.1% approve and 58.7% disapprove, a net of -19.6. FiftyPlusOne had 35.3% and 61.5%, a net of -26.2. The Economist had 34.0% and 61.0%, a net of -27.0. The spread between the highest and lowest approval figures is 5.1 points.

The post-election survey matches the most favorable average. At 39% approve, it lines up with Decision Desk HQ and sits 5 points above The Economist. The disapproval gap is smaller: 61% in the survey, 61.0% at The Economist, 61.5% at FiftyPlusOne. Disapproval stayed in a tight range while approval moved with methodology. Averages smooth out single-poll swings, which makes them a steadier guide than any one survey. The net rating ran from -19.6 to -27.0.

Trump Approval Among Republicans and Independents in 2026

TRUMP APPROVAL BY GROUP, POST-ABC-IPSOS, OCTOBER 2026 (each █ = 4 points)

Republicans                ████████████████████  79%
Registered voters          █████████▌            37%
All adults                 ████████▌             33%
Independents               █████▌                22%
Strongly approve (GOP)     ██████████            39%

Source: ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll, October 9-13, 2026, Ipsos KnowledgePanel.

Republican support slipped. 79% of Republicans approve, down from 88% near the start of his second term, and only 39% strongly approve, a record low and a steep fall from 63% in February 2025. MAGA Republicans stay firmer, with 55% strongly approving, down from 65%. The party base still backs him, but with less intensity.

Independents are the weak point. Just 22% approve and 76% disapprove, with 58% strongly disapproving, record figures across both of his terms. Registered voters sit at 37% approve and 63% disapprove. The Post also found that only 21% approve of his handling of the cost of living. Independents and prices drove the midterm rejection. Hispanic adults moved away from him: about 6 in 10 disapproved in an AP-NORC poll from October. At least half of adults hold unfavorable views of both parties, so dislike of Trump did not turn into love for Democrats.

Trump Approval Rating at the 2026 Midterms vs the 2018 Midterms

TRUMP APPROVAL AT MIDTERM TIME (each █ = 3 points)

2018 (Gallup final)   ██████████████▌  44%
2018 (NBC exit poll)  ██████████████▌  44%
2026 (Post/NORC)      █████████████    39%

Source: Gallup final 2018 reading via the American Presidency Project; NBC News Exit Poll (2018); Washington Post/NORC post-election survey (2026).

Approval fell from 44% to 39% between the two midterms. Strong disapproval rose from 47% to 50%. The 2018 strong disapproval figure comes from the NBC News Exit Poll, and the 2026 figure from the Post/NORC survey, so treat the 3-point gap as a rough comparison. Both figures show the same pattern: nearly half of voters opposed him strongly, both times. The two midterms share that feature. The difference is the lower approval floor in 2026.

Outcomes also differ. In 2018 the president’s party lost 40 House seats and gained 2 Senate seats. In 2026, Democrats took both chambers. His 2026 approval of 39% came in a year when voters also rejected him on prices and the war in Iran.

Presidential Approval Ratings at US Midterm Elections: Historical Records 2026 Edition

GALLUP APPROVAL AT MIDTERM TIME (each █ = 3 points)

Clinton 1998      ██████████████████████  66%
Bush 2002         █████████████████████   63%
Eisenhower 1958   ███████████████████     57%
Obama 2010        ███████████████         45%
Trump 2018        ██████████████▌         44%
Biden 2022        █████████████▌          40%
Truman 1946       ███████████             33%

Source: Gallup; The American Presidency Project, University of California, Santa Barbara.

Gallup’s record runs from Truman’s 33% in 1946, the lowest, to Clinton’s 66% in 1998, the highest. Truman’s party lost 55 House seats. Clinton’s gained 5. Obama’s 45% in 2010 came with a 64-seat loss, the largest in the table. Trump’s 39% in the Post/NORC survey would rank above only Truman and below every other president listed, including Biden at 40%.

Approval does not predict seats perfectly. Eisenhower lost 47 seats at 57%, and Biden lost only 9 at 40%. Only Clinton and George W. Bush saw their party gain seats, and both had approval above 60%. Only two of the seven presidents in the table reached 60%. For Trump at 39%, history pointed toward large Republican losses, and the 2026 results fit it.

Midterm Seat Loss by Presidential Approval Level in 2026 and Before

AVERAGE HOUSE SEAT LOSS FOR THE PRESIDENT'S PARTY (each █ = 2 seats)

Approval below 50%   ██████████████████▌  37 seats
All midterms         ████████████▌        25 seats
Approval above 50%   ███████              14 seats

Source: Gallup midterm seat loss analysis; The American Presidency Project, University of California, Santa Barbara.

Gallup measured the average loss at 37 House seats for presidents below 50% approval, 14 seats for presidents above it, and 25 seats across all midterms since 1946. The president’s party lost seats in 18 of 20 midterms in that span. Gallup also noted in 2018 that Trump’s approval sat in the low 40s as voters headed to the polls, and his party lost the House. A loss is the default. The size of the loss tracks approval.

Trump’s 39% puts him in the group that loses big. Seat totals for 2026 are still being counted, so this report does not give a final House figure. The pattern still holds on direction: the president’s party lost control of both chambers, as the low approval would predict. One academic model finds that each point below the average approval rating costs the president’s party about 0.9 seats.

Frequently Asked Questions About Donald Trump Approval Rating During US Midterm Elections 2026

What was Donald Trump’s approval rating during the 2026 midterm elections?

The Washington Post/NORC post-election survey of November 4 found 39% approve and 61% disapprove. Final October polls ranged from 32% to 38%.

How many voters strongly disapproved of Trump in 2026?

50% strongly disapproved in the post-election survey. More than 9 in 10 of them supported Democratic House candidates.

Was Trump’s approval lower in 2026 than in 2018?

Yes. His approval was 44% at the 2018 midterms and 39% in the 2026 post-election survey, a drop of 5 points.

What is Trump’s lowest approval rating in 2026?

CNN/SSRS recorded 32% on October 15-18. The Post-ABC-Ipsos poll found 33%, which it called a record personal low.

What is Trump’s approval rating among independents in 2026?

The Post-ABC-Ipsos poll found 22% approve and 76% disapprove among independents, including 58% who strongly disapprove.

What is Trump’s approval rating among Republicans in 2026?

79% of Republicans approve in the Post-ABC-Ipsos poll, down from 88% early in his second term. Only 39% strongly approve.

Why did Trump’s approval fall before the 2026 midterms?

The Washington Post reported voter discontent over high prices and the war in Iran. Only 21% approved of his handling of the cost of living in the Post-ABC-Ipsos poll.

Did Democrats win Congress in the 2026 midterms?

Yes. The Washington Post and CBS News reported that Democrats won control of both the House and the Senate. Final seat counts are still being tallied.

What was Trump’s approval among registered voters before the midterms?

The Post-ABC-Ipsos poll found 37% approve and 63% disapprove among registered voters. The NPR/PBS/Marist poll of registered voters found 38% approve and 61% disapprove.

How do the polling averages compare for Trump’s approval in 2026?

On October 30, Decision Desk HQ had 39.1% approve, FiftyPlusOne had 35.3%, and The Economist had 34.0%. Disapproval ranged from 58.7% to 61.5%.

Why do Trump’s approval numbers differ between polls?

Pollsters survey different groups: all adults, registered voters, or likely voters. Methods, question wording, and dates also differ. Registered voter samples tend to show approval a few points higher than adult samples.

How did strong disapproval of Trump change from October to Election Day?

The Post-ABC-Ipsos poll found 52% of adults strongly disapproved in October. The post-election survey found 50%. The two surveys use different samples, so the 2-point gap is within normal variation.

Is the post-election survey the final word on Trump’s approval rating?

No. It is one survey taken after voting ended. Other pollsters will publish post-election readings, and Gallup will release its own monthly approval figures. Compare several sources before treating one number as settled.

What approval rating do presidents need to avoid midterm losses?

Gallup finds that presidents above 50% approval lose 14 House seats on average, and presidents below 50% lose 37.

What was the lowest presidential approval rating at a midterm election?

Truman’s 33% in 1946, according to Gallup. His party lost 55 House seats.

Do midterm elections always cost the president’s party seats?

Not always, but usually. The president’s party lost House seats in 18 of 20 midterms since 1946. Clinton in 1998 and Bush in 2002 gained seats.

Disclaimer: This research report is compiled from publicly available sources. While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, no representation or warranty, express or implied, is given as to the completeness or reliability of the information. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions, losses, or damages of any kind arising from the use of this report.