Donald Trump’s approval rating has hit rock bottom—again.
A new Emerson College poll of 1,000 registered voters shows that just 41 percent approve of the president’s job performance, while 49 percent disapprove. That’s a four-point drop since October and a staggering eight points down from the 49 percent he recorded when he re-entered office.
“Nearly one year after he was elected, President Trump’s approval has flipped since the first Emerson College poll of the new administration,” said Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling.
Kimball added that Trump’s support among his own base is slipping fast. “Since his inauguration, Trump has lost support among key groups: Republican voters’ approval decreased 12 points—from 91 percent to 79 percent—and his disapproval intensified among independent voters, from 44 percent to 51 percent, and Hispanics, from 39 percent to 54 percent.”
It’s not just Emerson showing bad news for the president. The CNN/SSRS poll released earlier this month found that 63 percent of Americans are unhappy with Trump’s performance—the highest disapproval rating of either of his terms. A late October YouGov/Economist survey also put him at a brutal -18 net approval, an all-time low.
The timing couldn’t be worse for Trump. His second term has been rocked by the lingering fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein saga, a grinding government shutdown—now the longest in U.S. history—and mounting frustration over unfulfilled campaign promises. Inflation remains stubborn, food prices keep climbing, and patience is wearing thin.
Still, Trump insists he’s doing great. After the release of the latest numbers, he jumped on Truth Social to dismiss the wave of negative polling as part of a broader conspiracy.
“So many Fake Polls are being shown by the Radical Left Media, all slanted heavily toward Democrats and Far Left Wingers,” Trump wrote on Monday. “In the Fair Polls, and even the Reasonable Polls, I have the Best Numbers I have ever had and, why shouldn’t I?”
The post came just hours before Republicans were routed in elections across the country—a humiliating sweep that many see as the first major referendum on Trump’s second term.
The Emerson poll suggests that the backlash could haunt the GOP well into the 2026 midterms. According to the survey, 43 percent of respondents said they plan to vote in opposition to Trump, compared to only 29 percent who said they’ll vote to support him.
Democrats lead Republicans 44 to 40 percent on a generic congressional ballot, suggesting the political tide may be turning their way.
“Democrats report being most motivated to vote in the 2026 midterm elections, at 71 percent, compared to 60 percent of Republicans and 42 percent of independents,” Kimball said.
With Democratic wins piling up and approval numbers cratering, Trump’s insistence that everything is “fake” might not be enough this time. The numbers don’t lie—and for now, they’re all heading in the same direction.
