Inflation Weighs on GOP as Trump Approval Hits 33%

Thirty-three percent. That’s President Donald Trump’s approval rating among U.S. adults in a new Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll, a new low for his presidency. Sixty-six percent say they disapprove. Two weeks before Election Day, Republicans face a political map that looks far less friendly than it did a year ago.

The Numbers

The strength of the disapproval stands out as much as its breadth. According to the poll, 52 percent of Americans say they strongly disapprove of the president’s performance. That’s no mild grumbling. It’s a majority of the country firmly opposed, the kind of number that tends to drive turnout.

At the same time, the poll found rising support for Democrats in the race for control of Congress. With two weeks left, Republicans face what the survey calls a bleak political outlook. Midterm elections have long served as a referendum on the party holding the White House, and these results suggest voters are preparing to deliver a verdict.

Pocketbook Pressure

The poll points to a familiar culprit behind the sour national mood: inflation. Inflationary pressures are helping create what the survey describes as an acrid mood among voters. When grocery, rent and fuel costs keep climbing, households feel the pinch at the checkout counter long before they read an economic report. Political scientists have observed for decades that prices tend to matter more to voters than almost anything else, and that pattern appears to hold here.

For a party that has built its brand on economic stewardship, that’s uncomfortable. Republicans have traditionally argued that disciplined spending, lighter regulation and a stable climate for businesses offer the surest path to prosperity. Voters squeezed by rising costs aren’t waiting for a seminar on monetary theory. They want relief, and they’re telling pollsters they haven’t found it.

What the Poll Doesn’t Say

A snapshot isn’t a result. Polls measure sentiment on the day they’re taken, and the survey itself describes Democrats as gaining an edge, not securing control. Turnout in midterm contests is notoriously hard to predict, while the 66 percent disapproval figure includes U.S. adults—a broader group than the likely voters who will decide who controls Congress. Parties have recovered from worse positions with two weeks to go, though the margin for error is shrinking by the day.

Still, the direction is clear. Trump’s approval has fallen to a new low. Democratic support is rising. And the economic mood driving both trends hasn’t visibly eased.

Why This Matters:

The stakes extend well beyond one party’s fortunes. Control of Congress determines the fate of tax policy, federal spending and regulatory priorities—the very levers that shape prices, hiring and investment. If voters give Democrats an edge, markets will start weighing the prospect of divided government, with its gridlock and potential fights over the budget. That cuts both ways. Divided government can restrain spending and slow sweeping new mandates, but it can also stall the pro-growth agenda Republicans say would ease cost pressures. For households, the poll points to a plain fact: inflation remains the issue that moves votes, and whichever party earns trust on prices will hold the advantage in the contests ahead. The coming two weeks will show whether that anger turns into ballots.