A new Fox News poll points to a steep slide in public approval for President Donald Trump, with even core Republican support showing clear signs of erosion.
The latest poll, conducted between May 15-18 among 1,002 registered voters, puts Trump’s approval rating at a new low across both his terms in the White House, with 39 percent approving and 61 percent disapproving.
The survey is just one of many that have put Trump’s approval at a record low in recent weeks.
It comes as the economy is at the top of voters’ minds ahead of November’s midterms. The poll showed that a majority of respondents—58 percent, up from 50 percent in February—say the cost of living is their top economic concern, far ahead of other issues like government spending, jobs, and tariffs.
That’s bad news for Trump, with the poll showing widespread disapproval of his handling of the economy, including significant dissatisfaction even among Republicans.
Disapproval of Trump’s handling of the economy has risen from 56 percent a year ago to 66 percent last month and now 71 percent, a new low driven in part by a 7 percent increase in Republican disapproval.
On inflation, where Trump’s net approval sits at a historic low of -52 points, 51 percent of Republicans now disapprove of his performance.
Meanwhile, more than three-quarters of Americans (77 percent) say the economy is in bad shape, up from 73 percent last month and 71 percent a year ago, while just 23 percent rate it positively.
Personal financial outlooks are also negative, with 51 percent saying their family’s finances are worse than two years ago, compared with 44 percent before the 2022 midterms.
Rising gas prices are widely seen as a problem, with 86 percent calling them an issue and 51 percent saying they are a “major” problem; overall, 96 percent say gas prices are a problem and 75 percent call it a major issue. Most voters (91 percent) link higher gas prices to the Iran war.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
White House spokesman Kush Desai told the Daily Beast: “The American economy has been resilient under President Trump because his economic agenda has a proven track record – this same agenda of tax cuts, deregulation, and tariffs unleashed historic job, wage, and economic growth during the first Trump term.
“Americans can rest assured that as this agenda continues taking effect, and as Congress passes more of the President’s healthcare and housing affordability agenda, the best is yet to come in the second Trump term.”
Energy prices have spiked since Trump launched his war with Iran in February, with Iran blockading the Strait of Hormuz.
According to AAA, the national average for regular gasoline has risen above $4.50 a gallon, with prices topping $5 in seven states. Inflation also climbed to 3.8 percent in April—the highest in nearly three years.
While the 79-year-old president himself has downplayed concerns over soaring gas prices and inflation as a “small price to pay” for confronting Iran, others in his party have expressed concern that rising gas prices could be an “Achilles’ heel” for Republicans in November.
“The toughest thing, too, is that we made gas prices the Achilles’ heel for (former President Joe) Biden and now it’s our own,” an unnamed adviser told Reuters last week.
And polls show that could be true. According to pollster G. Elliott Morris, Republicans are now deep underwater, at -20 points among voters who make decisions based on gas prices and overall economic conditions.
Morris pointed out in a post on X that this is “the group that put Trump in the White House in the first place,” with the economy being one of Trump’s strongest issues in 2024.
They are not the only key constituency that is deserting Trump and his party.
The Fox News poll shows Trump’s net approval slipping across several key groups, including rural white voters (-6 points) and white men without a college degree (-5 points).
Overall approval is at or near historic lows across core constituencies, registering 80 percent among Republicans, 54 percent among non-MAGA Republicans, and just 43 percent among both White voters and rural voters.
Other polls have also shown that Latino voters, who shifted sharply toward Republicans by 22 points in 202, are now showing signs of drifting away from the president.
According to a May Pew Research Center poll, Trump’s approval rating among Latino voters who supported him has dropped to 66 percent, a steep decline from 93 percent at the start of his second term.
A TelevisaUnivision/Harris poll from this month showed that 73 percent of Latino voters say they are merely “surviving” financially.
