President Donald Trump's approval rating in Tennessee has officially dipped into the negatives, according to recent Civiqs polling.
According to Civiqs, an organization that surveys thousands of Americans daily about their views on politics and current events, Tennessee switched to having a negative approval rating of the president in early September, and the gap has only grown since.
At thebeginning of September, Civiqs recorded Trump with a net approval rating of 1% in the state, and it has now flipped to a net approval rating of -4% as of Sept. 12.
Here is what the president's current approval ratings look like in Tennessee.
Trump's approval rating dips after promising $5,000 checks, floating ongoing Iran presence
These approval ratings come a few days after the Republican midterm convention on Sept. 9, where Trump promised $5,000
to all Americans if Republicans maintain control of both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. The following morning, on Sept. 10, he promised to issue refund checks because taxpayers were overcharged through the Affordable Care Act.
Also at the convention, Trump spoke as if he were at one of his own campaign rallies, touting the record number of votes in Texas, his tariffs , and efforts to seal the southern border, yet the mission was to boost Republican midterm candidates in danger of losing in November. His address lasted one hour and 45 minutes.
Now, Trump is floating the idea of keeping a U.S. presence in Iran as the war in the Middle East continues to ravage the global oil market.
"We'll ultimately get out (of Iran), unless we decide to stay and keep the oil like Venezuela," Trump told reporters at the Trump International golf course in Ireland on Sept. 13, saying U.S. revenue from Venezuela has "paid for the war many times."
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released late last month found that only a quarter of Americans think the Iran war is worthwhile, down from previous surveys earlier this year.
Furthermore, the Trump administration enacted 50% tariffs on approximately 5% of Canadian imports in August, prompting Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to declare retaliatory tariffs shortly after. These tariffs, which began on Sept. 8, cover roughly $20 billion in U.S. goods sold to Canada, ranging from 15% to 50% across different product categories.
What are Trump's approval ratings?
Silver Bulletin
Most recent Trump approval rating according to Pollster Nate Silver's “Silver Bulletin” newsletter (Sept. 14, 2026):
- Favorable: 38.7%
- Unfavorable: 58.0%
- Net Approval: -19.3
Rasmussen
Most recent Trump approval rating, according to the latest Rasmussen poll (Sept. 14, 2026):
- Favorable: 45%
- Unfavorable: 54%
- Net Approval: -9
New York Times
Most recent Trump approval rating, according to the latest New York Times poll (Sept. 14, 2026):
- Favorable: 39%
- Unfavorable: 58%
- Net Approval: -19
Civiqs
Most recent Trump approval rating according to the latest Civiqs poll (Sept. 12, 2026):
- Favorable: 34%
- Unfavorable: 60%
- Not sure: 6%
- Net Approval: -26
The Economist
Most recent Trump approval rating, according to the latest polling from The Economist (Sept. 9, 2026):
- Favorable: 35%
- Unfavorable: 61%
- Not sure: 4%
- Net Approval: -26
Reuters/Ipsos
Most recent Trump approval rating, according to the latest from the Reuters/Ipsos poll (Aug. 31, 2026):
- Favorable: 33%
- Unfavorable: 63%
- Net Approval: -30%
What is Trump's approval rating in Tennessee?
Civiqs polls, last updated Sept. 12, indicate Trump's approval in Tennessee has dropped since mid-August after a moderate drop in July.
For the first time in either of his two terms, Trump has a negative approval rating in Tennessee: 44% of residents approve of his performance, 48% disapprove, and 8% are neutral. This equates to a negative 4-point net approval rating, the difference between approval and disapproval ratings.
Trump's net approval in Tennessee began at 24% when he took office, declined to 7% by late 2025, and has not risen above 5% since May 5. During his first term, he started with a 17% net rating and ended with an 11% rating.
The polling numbers for Tennessee were also broken down by age, education, gender, race and party.
- Age: Adults ages 18-34 expressed the highest level of unfavorable views of Trump (66%), while those 65 and older were the most favorable (60%). Adults 50-64 followed closely behind at 56% approval.
- Education: Only non-college graduates have a positive approval rating for the president at 46%. Conversely, 50% of college graduates disapprove, and 57% of postgraduates also disapprove.
- Gender: Men and women are split slightly on Trump, with 49% of women disapproving and 52% of men expressing a positive view of the president.
- Party: Among political parties, Democrats and independents both disapprove of the president, at rates of 98% and 58%, respectively. Unsurprisingly, 76% of Republicans in the state approve of Trump's performance.
- Race: Results by race show that voters of color have a predominantly negative view of Trump. In Tennessee, 91% of Black voters, 58% of Hispanic/Latino voters, and 52% of voters identified as "other" disapprove. In contrast, Trump has a 52% approval rating among white voters.
Jordan Green covers trending news for The Commercial Appeal and Tennessee. She can be reached at jordan.green@commercialappeal.com.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Trump hits negative approval rating in Tennessee for first time
