Trump's approval hits new low in latest poll

President Donald Trump's approval rating has fallen to a new low since returning to the White House, according to a new Economist/YouGov poll released Tuesday, with just 34% of Americans approving of his job performance.

The survey found 62% of Americans disapprove of Trump's performance, up two percentage points from the previous week, while 63% say the country is headed in the wrong direction. Despite Trump's declining numbers, Democrats have gained little ground politically, leading Republicans by just four points on a generic congressional ballot.

The Economist/YouGov poll, conducted July 25-27 among 1,559 adults, marks Trump's lowest approval rating in YouGov tracking since he returned to office. The poll's margin of error was plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.

In an emailed statement to USA TODAY, White House spokesman Davis Ingle dismissed Tuesday's poll, saying "the ultimate poll was November 5th 2024 when nearly 80 million Americans overwhelmingly elected President Trump."

"The President has already made historic progress not only in America but around the world, and this is just the beginning as his agenda continues taking effect," Ingle said.

Trump's struggles extend beyond one poll

The Economist/YouGov results are not an outlier. Several recent surveys have also found Trump underwater with voters.

A Pew Research Center poll released July 23 put Trump's approval rating at 24%, while a Washington Post/Ipsos survey found 37% approved of his job performance. Emerson College and Fox News polls each showed Trump at 39%.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Monday offered slightly better news for the president, showing a three-point improvement in his approval rating. Even so, just 37% approved of Trump's performance, while 60% disapproved.

What do polling averages show?

While individual polls vary, major polling averages continue to show Trump in negative territory overall:

• RealClearPolitics (July 28): 40.7% approve, 57.7% disapprove
• New York Times (July 28): 38% approve, 59% disapprove
• Silver Bulletin (July 28): 39.1% approve, 58.0% disapprove

USA TODAY's Kinsey Crowley and Reuters contributed to this report.

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump's approval hits new low in latest poll

Reporting by Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect

This story was originally published July 28, 2026 at 12:18 PM.