President Donald Trump's approval rating has plummeted to historic lows as his administration grapples with mounting crises on multiple fronts, according to a CNN report released Monday. Just one-third of Americans now approve of his job performance, matching the depths he reached after his supporters stormed the Capitol in January 2021.
The president lashed out at oil companies Monday, accusing executives of profiteering from his war against Iran. He singled out Chevron, demanding the company lower gasoline prices even as he claimed to be a "big free enterprise guy — nobody bigger." The contradiction wasn't lost on observers: Trump's free-market rhetoric clashed with his direct pressure on private corporations to manipulate consumer prices.
War and Economic Fallout
Two major factors are dragging down Trump's standing with voters. His handling of the economy and the war he launched on Iran have eroded public confidence. The Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed, and the status of diplomatic talks remains unclear. Ordinary Americans are bearing the economic burden of these decisions through higher energy costs and market instability.
CNN reported that Trump also turned his ire on Jeanine Pirro, his handpicked U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., saying she "choked" and "folded like an umbrella" after court papers revealed that a botched Interior Department rehab, not vandalism, caused setbacks in the Reflecting Pool renovation. Trump claimed Monday that he'd suggested applying material meant for swimming pools to the 100-plus-year-old landmark. He's now considering removing Pirro from her position.
Republican Defections Mount
Trump did secure one victory: winning enough support for Todd Blanche, his former personal attorney, to be confirmed as attorney general. But Blanche, currently acting attorney general, had to officially and permanently squelch the $1.8 billion fund widely seen as a way to pay Trump's political supporters.
CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig said Monday on "The Situation Room" that "for all the drama around this written document from Todd Blanche, it really accomplishes essentially nothing as a legal matter." Trump or his attorneys could theoretically sue to have the agreement reinstated because Trump and his lawyers haven't signed the document clawing it back.
Two Republicans, Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, wanted the settlement rescinded in writing. They've also argued the GOP should move on, for now, from Trump's SAVE America Act, which would impose new proof-of-citizenship requirements in addition to voter ID conducted in the states. CNN reported there's no evidence for the mass voter fraud Trump cites, and the bill hasn't gained enough momentum to pass, with no time to implement it before the midterm elections.
Neither Tillis nor Cornyn will be on the ballot in November. Tillis isn't running for reelection, and his North Carolina seat is considered a strong pickup opportunity for Democrats. Cornyn lost a primary runoff against a more MAGA opponent who won Trump's late endorsement. Democrats are said to be eyeing Texas.
Moderate Republicans Break Ranks
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the only Republican running for reelection in a state Trump won in 2024, inserted language into a spending bill to block, for now, a rule proposed by Trump's Office of Management and Budget. That rule would give political appointees, rather than subject experts, more power over federal grants. Collins is locked in a tight reelection battle.
The CNN Poll was conducted by SSRS and released last week. The last time a U.S. president drew approval that low was at the tail end of Trump's first term, in the fifth year after the Capitol attack.
Why This Matters:
Trump's collapsing approval ratings reflect the human cost of his policy choices. Working families are paying more at the pump while oil companies profit from a war that's closed a critical shipping route. His attacks on career civil servants and attempts to politicize federal grant-making threaten the integrity of institutions that Americans depend on for expertise and accountability. The defection of Republican senators signals that even members of his own party recognize the political peril of defending policies with no factual basis, like his voter fraud claims, or of supporting a war whose diplomatic endgame remains unclear. As midterm elections approach, voters in swing states will decide whether they want representatives who check executive overreach or enable it. The economic and democratic stakes couldn't be higher for communities already stretched thin by inflation and institutional erosion.