Trump's Approval Hits Record Lows on Economy and Iran

President Donald Trump's approval ratings have sunk to the lowest levels of his two terms in office according to a new national survey as Americans grow furious over a costly war with Iran high gasoline prices and an economy that feels increasingly rigged against working families. The CNBC All America Economic Survey of one thousand adults found just 40 percent approve of Trump's job performance while 58 percent disapprove pushing his net approval rating to negative 18. That represents an eleven point swing downward from the previous quarter and the sharpest decline since the pandemic low point in 2020.

The numbers show the coalition that returned Trump to the White House is beginning to fracture. Republican net approval fell seventeen points with non MAGA Republicans dropping nineteen points to just 60 percent support. Even among the president's most loyal backers the poll found growing unease as the conflict in the Middle East drags on. High profile voices on the right including former Fox News host Tucker Carlson have begun to voice public regret over their earlier support describing themselves as tormented by where events have led. This comes as Iranian forces seize ships in the Strait of Hormuz and both sides escalate blockades that threaten global energy supplies.

The connection between the war and pain at the pump is impossible to ignore. Gas prices have surged 27 percent over the past year according to AAA data hammering truckers farmers and anyone who has to drive to earn a paycheck. Trump has downplayed the increases calling them not very high even as families in the heartland stretch every dollar. The survey makes clear that voters blame the administration's foreign policy for this mess with widespread dissatisfaction over the Iran conflict cited as a top factor dragging down both overall and economic approval numbers.

This should not surprise anyone who has watched Washington for long. Time and again leaders from both parties drag the country into Middle East fights that promise quick victories but deliver years of chaos higher costs and dead American treasure. Trump campaigned as the man who would put America first and avoid the forever wars that bleed us dry. Yet here we are with a second term barely underway and the administration locked in a shooting war that has already sent oil prices through the roof. The Harvard Harris poll earlier this year showed strong public concern about Iran's nuclear program and consistent majorities view Tehran as an enemy. That sentiment is real. But turning it into open conflict carries consequences that polls now show are hitting home with the very voters who elected this president to fix the border stop inflation and restore American strength at home rather than chase regime change abroad.

Republicans on Capitol Hill and in conservative circles are growing nervous with just six months until the 2026 midterms. Trump's recent social media activity has only added to the concern. Over a four day stretch he posted about a proposed triumphal arch ballroom renovations at the White House a UFC fight on the grounds an AI generated image of himself as Jesus and criticism of the new pope. Economic topics that once dominated his message have taken a back seat. Critics inside the party point out that the original Trump bargain with voters was simple. He might be rough around the edges but he knew how to run the economy. That memory of pre pandemic growth helped carry him back to power. Now with prices rising and attention elsewhere some Republicans fear the deal is coming undone.

Micah Roberts the Republican pollster for the CNBC survey tried to downplay the drop saying five points amid war inflation and gas spikes is not catastrophic and that the MAGA core remains fired up at 96 percent approval. Yet the broader erosion cannot be wished away. Independent voters have turned sharply negative and even some core supporters worry that the focus on foreign conflict is distracting from the cost of living crisis that hits kitchens and gas tanks in every American town.

The Guardian and other outlets have framed this as Trump losing his base but the reality is more specific. Americans did not elect him to referee another religious civil war in the Middle East or to watch tanker traffic get choked off so globalist interests can profit from higher energy costs. They voted to end the policies that hollow out the middle class. When a president loses ground with non MAGA Republicans and sees overall numbers hit record lows it is not some mysterious enigma. It is voters sending a message that the economy must come first.

The coming months will test whether the administration can stabilize energy markets wind down the Iran conflict and refocus on the domestic agenda that won two elections. If gas stays above five dollars in much of the country and Trump continues to seem distracted by cultural sideshows the polling slide could accelerate. For a president who has always paid close attention to his base the current numbers offer a warning. Americans are tired of wars that raise their bills while elites in both parties act as if the only solution is more conflict. The question now is whether that message is being heard in the White House before the damage spreads further.