President Donald Trump's approval ratings remain low in Tennessee, a month after they first dropped into negative territory.
New reporting also shows Trump's national approval rating reached a new low in The Wall Street Journal's polling, marking the lowest approval rating for an incumbent president heading into the midterm elections in the outlet's survey history
A poll published over the weekend found Trump's approval rating at 37%, the lowest for a president heading into the midterms since The Wall Street Journal began polling in 1990 during President George H.W. Bush's administration.
Trump's diminished approval rating coincides with widespread dissatisfaction among Americans regarding the economy and the president’s influence on it. In the most
recent survey, 65% of respondents said the economy is not robust, and 60% believe Trump's policies have negatively impacted the economy.
The Wall Street Journal poll was conducted Sept. 16-21 among 1,500 registered voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
Here's what to know and where Trump's current approval ratings fall in Tennessee.
Impact continues from Trump's continued war with Iran
Trump said he rejected a new ceasefire proposal from Iran that would have opened the Strait of Hormuz.
"They want to make a deal, and that's fine, I like making a deal too, but that deal would not be acceptable," Trump said to reporters outside the White House on Sept. 26.
Iran proposed the diplomatic agreement at the United Nations General Assembly in September, hoping to achieve a seven-day pause in military action and the reopening of the Strait. Trump, though, said that Iran "outsmarted themselves" by closing the strategic waterway and that Iran is "dying" because it has "no money coming in."
Trump said that the U.S. is "winning tremendously" and that "massive amounts of oil are coming out of the Hormuz Strait" after he enacted "the greatest blockade ever in military history."
He later shared during a Sept. 27 phone interview with Axios that he expects U.S. negotiators to continue talks with Iran this week, one day after he rejected the country's ceasefire proposal that would have opened the critical Strait of Hormuz.
"I expect more talks with Iran this week. They want to make a deal, but it is not the deal that I want to make. It is what we would have maybe agreed to a year ago. They overplayed their hand," Trump told Axios.
When asked if he had considered resuming strikes against Iran, Trump said, "I am always thinking about it," but he did not commit to specific attacks.
What are Trump's approval ratings?
Silver Bulletin
Most recent Trump approval rating according to Pollster Nate Silver's “Silver Bulletin” newsletter (Sept. 29, 2026):
- Favorable: 37.5%
- Unfavorable: 60.1%
- Net Approval: -22.6%
New York Times
Most recent Trump approval rating, according to the latest New York Times poll (Sept. 29, 2026):
- Favorable: 37%
- Unfavorable: 60%
- Net Approval: -23%
The Economist
Most recent Trump approval rating, according to the latest polling from The Economist (Sept. 29, 2026):
- Favorable: 35%
- Unfavorable: 61%
- Not sure: 4%
- Net Approval: -26%
Civiqs
Most recent Trump approval rating according to the latest Civiqs poll (Sept. 28, 2026):
- Favorable: 34%
- Unfavorable: 60%
- Not sure: 6%
- Net Approval: -26&
Rasmussen
Most recent Trump approval rating, according to the latest Rasmussen poll (Sept. 28, 2026):
- Favorable: 44%
- Unfavorable: 55%
- Net Approval: -11%
Reuters/Ipsos
Most recent Trump approval rating, according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll (Sept. 20, 2026):
- Favorable: 32%
- Unfavorable: 66%
- Net Approval: -34%
What is Trump's approval rating in Tennessee?
Civiqs polls, last updated Sept. 28, indicate Trump's approval in Tennessee has increased slightly but remains negative.
Trump first recorded a negative approval rating in Tennessee on Aug. 18, when 47% of voters disapproved and 46% approved. Since then, the numbers have widened, with the largest gap at -4 on Sept. 12, when 48% disapproved and 44% approved.
As of Sept. 28, 45% of residents approve of his performance, 48% disapprove, and 8% are neutral. This is a negative 3-point net approval rating, the difference between approval and disapproval.
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 11%.
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 (65%), 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 47%. Conversely, 49% of college graduates disapprove, and 57% of postgraduates also disapprove.
- Gender: Men and women are split slightly on Trump, with 51% of women disapproving and 49% 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 57%, respectively. Unsurprisingly, 75% 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, 59% 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's approval rating in Tennessee stays negative. Here's the latest
