Donald Trump’s Polling Decline Continues

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by WILL FOLKS

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U.S. president Donald Trump is continuing to plumb new polling depths as economic woes, war weariness and his ill-conceived social media misadventures conspire to drag his approval rating down even further. Trump’s polling troubles are likely to compound Republican difficulties ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, a cycle in which Democrats could see significant gains.

According to the latest aggregate polling data compiled by RealClear Polling, Trump’s disapproval rating stood at 57.3% as of Friday (May 1, 2026) – while his approval rating clocked in at an anemic 40.3%. That’s a gap of -17%, just a shade below his second term nadir of -17.2%, which was reached last week between April 23-25.

Even Rasmussen Reports – which has typically published surveys showing Trump better positioned than he is in other polls – currently has him at -13%. More ominous for the administration, the intensity of Trump’s support is waning as the intensity of his opposition rises, according to Rasmussen.

At the end of last May, 37% of Rasmussen respondents said they “strongly” approved of Trump’s performance in office – which was equal to the percentage of respondents (37%) who said they strongly disapproved. That’s an intensity gap of 0%. Today, only 28% of respondents said they strongly approved of Trump compared to 47% who said they strongly disapproved. That’s an intensity gap of -19%… in just eleven months.

And once again, it comes from Trump’s most favorable pollster…

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In March of 2025, Trump’s approval rating went underwater – meaning for the first time, more Americans said they disapproved of his performance than approved of it. In February of this year, we noted the escalating erosion of Trump’s popularity following the Epstein Files scandal – and last month we clocked another decline after his ill-conceived military interventionism in Iran.

For those of you keeping score at home, Trump is fast approaching the level of unpopularity achieved by his predecessor.

Former U.S. president Joe Biden left office on January 20, 2025 with 57.1% of Americans disapproving of his performance and just 39% approving (an -18.1% gap). His low-water mark came on July 20, 2022, when 57.4% of Americans disapproved of him, per the aggregate data, compared to just 37.1% who approved (a gap of -20.3%).

During Trump’s first term, his low-water mark was recorded by RealClear Polling on December 13, 2017. On that date, a whopping 58.1% of Americans disapproved of his job performance compared to just 37% who approved (a gap of -21.1%). Trump left office on January 20, 2021 with 56.1% of Americans disapproving of his performance and just 41.1% approving (a -15% gap).

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As I often note, this reporter has always been an agnostic when it comes to Trump – and I’ve always run a media outlet that assesses his performance on an issue-by-issue basis (welcoming submissions from those who both love and hate him).

In 2016, FITSNews endorsed Trump’s first presidential candidacy because it promised to take a battering ram to the failed GOP establishment in Washington, D.C. Many liberals in our audience have never let us forget that editorial decision. Sadly, though, Trump became the GOP establishment during his first term – reneging on all the fiscal conservative commitments he made as a candidate. Accordingly, we endorsed libertarian Jo Jorgenson in 2020 – and declined to endorse any candidate for president in 2024.

A national influencer recently referred to this author as a “Trump hater,” while many progressive Palmetto politicos have branded FITSNews as “MAGA apologists.” The truth? We will continue to assess the good, bad and ugly of Trump and his administration based on the outcomes it produces (or fails to produce).

“If that’s the sort of coverage you value, you’ve come to the right place,” I noted last month. “If you’re looking for reflexive Trump hate or regurgitative Trump adulation… there are plenty of mindless media options out there who would happily continue to misinform/manipulate you.”

As for Trump’s standing in bright red ‘First in the South’ Carolina, stay tuned for future reports…

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.

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