Just 32% of Americans approved of President Donald Trump’s presidency in a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed Monday, Oct. 5. Hispanic registered voters planned to back Democrats over Republicans by 52% to 26% in next month’s midterm elections. Trump’s approval matched the record low in a September Reuters/Ipsos survey, and support among Hispanic Americans had fallen to 24%, the lowest share in either of his presidential terms.
The Voter Numbers
Among all registered voters, Democrats led Republicans 44% to 37%, less than a month before the November 3 election. Independent voters favored Democrats 37% to 21%, while 28% of independents remained undecided.
Hispanic voters showed Democrats their largest advantage in the group since Trump took office. Twenty-six percent of Hispanic registered voters planned to vote Republican, while 52% planned to vote Democratic. Hispanic voters helped propel Trump to victory in the 2024 presidential contest: he won nearly half of their vote, compared with roughly one-third in the 2020 election.
The poll report said support for Trump had waned in recent months as Americans struggled with high inflation triggered by his decision to go to war with Iran. The cost of living ranked as the top issue for Americans deciding how to vote next month.
Inflation and the Election
Consumer inflation spiked after gasoline and diesel prices surged following the war with Iran that Trump launched in February. The poll named the cost of living as the leading voting concern, but didn't provide a separate figure for the share of voters who called it their top issue.
Republicans’ advantage among older Americans narrowed this year. Voters age 50 or older preferred Trump’s party over the Democratic Party, 44% to 42%, giving Republicans a 2-percentage-point lead. In December, Republicans had held an 8-point advantage among that age group. Older Americans have historically made up large shares of the midterm electorate.
Among voters under age 50, Democrats led by 18 points. The poll didn't give precise party preference percentages for that group.
Control of Congress
The November 3 election will determine control of both chambers of Congress during the last two years of Trump’s current term. Republicans were bracing for a difficult performance in the congressional elections, according to the article. Many analysts predicted Democrats would take a majority in the House of Representatives, while control of the Senate increasingly looked up for grabs.
Reuters/Ipsos conducted the poll online nationwide, surveying 4,506 U.S. adults. Its margin of error was about two percentage points. The results report approval, party preferences and stated voting plans; they don't determine how voters will cast their ballots on election day.