WorldPosted at: Sep 28 2026 9:50PM

Washington, Sep 28 (UNI) US President Donald Trump's approval rating has fallen to a record low of 37%, the lowest for an American president heading into a midterm election in Wall Street Journal polling dating back to 1990, according to a new survey released weeks before the November vote.
The poll, conducted from September 16 to 21 among 1,500 registered voters, has a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points. Trump's 37% approval was below the previous low in the Journal's pre-midterm polling, when George W Bush recorded 39% during his second term.
The findings come as Trump and Republicans face mounting concerns over the economy and the seven-month-old war in Iran. In the Journal survey, 60% of respondents said Trump's economic policies had made the economy worse, while 25% said they had improved it and 10% said they had made no difference.
Energy prices have also risen during the conflict. AAA's national average for regular petrol stood at about $4.48 a gallon on Monday, compared with roughly $3.13 a year earlier. AAA reported a national average of $4.4768 on September 28.
The war has become a political issue for some Republicans in closely contested states. Republican Senate candidates Mike Rogers in Michigan and Ashley Hinson in Iowa have called for a swift end to the conflict, breaking with Trump as concerns over fuel costs and the war grow.
Charlie Cook, founder of the Cook Political Report, said on ABC's 'This Week' on Sunday that Democratic gains in the House had appeared increasingly likely to him, while a Democratic Senate takeover had become "very realistic".
"I would completely agree that the House has been kind of a done deal for a good while," Cook said. "But the Senate, a year ago, it wasn't realistic to think that the Senate might flip, but now it's very realistic."
Former Republican congresswoman Barbara Comstock heavily criticised Trump's handling of the year, saying on MS NOW that he had "done everything he could to help Republicans lose" in the midterms, and highlighted the ongoing Iran war, high fuel prices and rising borrowing costs, all of which have been deeply unpopular among American citizens.
The 30-year US mortgage rate crossed 7% last week, reaching levels not seen since January 2025.
Republican lawmakers and candidates in Iowa, Michigan and Ohio have increasingly sought to distance themselves from the Iran war, particularly over its impact on petrol and diesel prices.
Trump, meanwhile, has continued to defend his approach to the war, dismissing all criticism. The Wall Street Journal has reported that he rejected an Iranian proposal for a seven-day ceasefire and told US officials he expected bombing of Iran to resume after the midterms.
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