If you’ve been tuning into cable news looking for a pick-me-up, the latest polling data might feel like a cold splash of water. A fresh wave of surveys released in March and April 2026 paints a rough picture for President Trump, whose approval rating has slid to new second-term lows across multiple major polls — and the numbers underneath the headline are arguably even tougher.
Let’s start with the top-line figures, because they tell a consistent story. A Reuters/Ipsos poll pegs Trump’s approval at 36%. Strength in Numbers/Verasight clocks in at 35%. AP-NORC has him at 33%. And the NBC News Decision Desk Poll lands at 37%. Four different pollsters, four different methodologies, one very similar result: the president is hovering in the mid-30s.
A Second-Term Low
According to NBC News, Trump’s personal approval rating has officially hit a second-term low, with 63% of adults disapproving of his performance. Crucially, 50% say they disapprove strongly — a number that suggests the opposition isn’t lukewarm.
Even more interesting are the cracks showing inside the GOP base. NBC’s polling finds 83% of Republicans still give Trump a positive approval rating, but that’s down 4 points from earlier this year. And the share of Republicans who strongly approve has slipped from 58% to 52%. That’s not a collapse, but it’s movement — and movement in midterm years tends to matter.
Broadly, one-third of Americans believe the country is on the right track while two-thirds believe it’s on the wrong track, the most pessimistic outlook NBC’s Decision Desk has recorded since Trump returned to office.
Wallets, Gas Pumps and Grocery Bills
So what’s driving the slide? In a word: money. The economy remains the top issue for Americans, with 29% naming it as their most important concern, followed by threats to democracy at 24%, health care at 12% and crime and safety at 10%. When asked which specific economic issue matters most, 45% picked inflation and the rising cost of living — the runaway winner.
The AP-NORC poll, published Tuesday, found that nearly three-quarters of Americans describe the economy as poor and 72% say the country is headed in the wrong direction. Trump’s handling of the economy has fallen to 30% approval in that survey, down from 38% in March. Just 23% approve of how he is handling the cost of living, while 76% disapprove.
NBC’s numbers echo the trend. Only 32% of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of inflation, compared with 68% who disapprove, with 52% saying they strongly disapprove — up 7 points since last summer. Forty percent say their personal financial situation is worse than a year ago, while just 19% say it’s better. Almost two-thirds say gas prices have been a problem for them and their family, with 29% calling it a serious problem and 36% calling it somewhat serious.
Immigration and the Iran Factor
Immigration, long considered one of Trump’s strongest issues, is showing wear too. The Guardian reports that only 40% currently approve of Trump’s immigration policy — down from 50% in the weeks after his January 2025 inauguration, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling. The shift followed the deaths of two U.S. citizens, Renée Good and Alex Pretti, during federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis in January.
On deportations specifically, 52% of Americans said they’d be less likely to support a candidate who backs Trump’s approach, versus 42% who’d be more likely. Among independents, that split widens to 57%–32% against.
Then there’s Iran. Two-thirds of NBC’s respondents disapprove of Trump’s handling of the conflict, with 67% disapproving overall and 82% of independents saying the same. Republicans remain supportive at 74%. Sixty-one percent say the U.S. should not take any further military action in Iran. Trump announced a temporary ceasefire on April 7, 2026.
Temperament, Sharpness and a Popular Pope
The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, conducted April 15–20 among 4,557 Americans with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points, ventured into more personal territory. Asked about Trump’s temperament following social media posts including a threat that “a whole civilization will die” and public clashes with Pope Leo XIV, 71% of respondents said Trump isn’t “even-tempered,” while just 26% said they consider him so.
Republicans split 53%–46% in favor of even-tempered; 92% of Democrats and roughly three-quarters of independents said he isn’t. On mental sharpness, 51% believe it has worsened, 40% say it’s stayed the same, and 6% say it has improved. The partisan gap is sharp: 14% of Republicans, 85% of Democrats and 54% of independents say sharpness has declined.
And in a detail that’s drawing plenty of attention, 60% of Americans hold a favorable view of Pope Leo XIV, compared with 36% for Trump. The Chicago-born pontiff also polls better than prominent Democrats, including Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris.
With six months until the midterms, the warning lights are blinking. For Trump-aligned Republicans, the data suggests voters are listening closely — and not loving what they’re hearing.
