Trump approval sinks to new low as war with Iran drives cost-of-living concerns

President Donald Trump arrives to speak to the media in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

US president Donald Trump's approval ​rating sank to the lowest level of his current term, as Americans increasingly soured on his handling of the cost ‌of living and an unpopular war with Iran, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.

The four-day poll completed on Monday showed 34% of Americans approve of Trump's performance in the White House, down from 36% in a prior Reuters/Ipsos survey, which was conducted from April 15 to 20.

The majority of responses were gathered prior to the Saturday ​night shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, where Trump was due to speak. It remains to be seen if ​the incident, in which a gunman was stopped before he could enter a hall where Trump was dining, ⁠might affect people's views of the US leader. Federal prosecutors have charged the accused shooter with attempting to assassinate the president.

Trump's standing with the ​US public has trended lower since taking office in January 2025, when 47% of Americans gave him a thumbs-up.

His popularity has taken a beating ​since the US and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28 that has led to a surge in gasoline prices. Only 22% of poll respondents approved of Trump's performance on the cost of living, down from 25% in the prior Reuters/Ipsos poll.

Surging gas prices weigh on voters US gasoline prices have surged more than ​40% to roughly $4.18 a gallon since the US and Israel launched surprise attacks on Iran on February 28, triggering a response that shut ​down a fifth of the global oil trade.

The price hikes are weighing heavily on American households and fueling concern among Trump's Republicans that they could lose control ‌of ⁠the US Congress in the November midterm elections.

While a solid majority of Republicans - 78% - still say they back Trump, 41% of the party say they disapprove of his handling of the cost of living, the Reuters/Ipsos poll found.

Independent registered voters, a group that could be decisive in the midterms, favored Democrats by 14 points, 34% to 20%, when asked who would get their vote in congressional elections. One in four said they ​were still undecided.

Trump won the 2024 ​presidential election on promises to bring ⁠down prices after several years of high inflation vexed his predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden. Now Trump's approval rating on the economy - at 27% - is well below any reading he had during his 2017-2021 administration, and ​also lower than Biden's weakest economy rating.

While the US conflict with Iran has cooled since the two ​sides agreed to a ⁠ceasefire earlier this month, Iran's threats are preventing most oil shipments from leaving the Persian Gulf, fueling further increases in US and global energy prices as oil reserves decline.

Just 34% of Americans approve of the US conflict with Iran, down from 36% in mid-April and 38% in mid-March, the Reuters/Ipsos poll ⁠found.

During Trump's ​first administration, his popularity hovered around 40% for long stretches. The latest reading remains ​a touch above the low point of his first term, which was 33%.

The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, which was conducted nationwide and online, gathered responses from 1,269 US adults including 1,014 ​registered voters and had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.