The latest results from the Beacon Center of Tennessee show President Donald Trump's approval ratings are underwater in Tennessee.
Beacon, a conservative think tank, released a statewide survey in August to 1,200 registered Tennessee voters on a range of issues and candidates ahead of the upcoming election season. The results, released in early September, show Trump's approval ratings have fallen into negative territory, marking a troublesome period for the president's image.
At the beginning of September, Civiqs recorded Trump with a net approval rating of 1% in the state, and that figure has since flipped to -4% as of Sept. 12.
Here are the president's approval ratings in Tennessee according to the August 2026 Beacon Poll.
For the first time, Beacon Poll shows Trump with facing disapproval in Tennessee
The survey indicated
that, for the first time since Beacon started polling Tennessee in 2023, President Trump’s job approval has fallen underwater in this deeply Republican state, with only 48% of voters approving of his performance and 51% disapproving, a 3-point deficit.
Other subjects The Beacon Poll asked Tennessee residents about include the governor's race, where 55% of respondents said they would vote for Marsha Blackburn, and only 34% said they would vote for Jerri Green.
Similarly, the U.S. Senate race shows a significant gap between the Democratic and Republican nominees. Incumbent Republican Bill Hagerty leads Democrat Marquita Bradshaw by 25 points, according to the Tennessee residents polled.
Looking ahead, The Beacon Poll also surveyed Tennessee residents on who they would pick in their party's primary. Among Republicans, J.D. Vance had the highest score with 56% of the votes, while Kamala Harris saw 30% among Democrats.
What is Trump's approval rating in Tennessee?
Civiqs polls, last updated Sept. 15, 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 4-point negative 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.
What are Trump's national approval ratings?
Silver Bulletin
Most recent Trump approval rating according to Pollster Nate Silver's “Silver Bulletin” newsletter (Sept. 17, 2026):
- Favorable: 38.3%
- Unfavorable: 58.7%
- Net Approval: -19.5
Rasmussen
Most recent Trump approval rating, according to the latest Rasmussen poll (Sept. 17, 2026):
- Favorable: 42%
- Unfavorable: 57%
- Net Approval: -15
New York Times
Most recent Trump approval rating, according to the latest New York Times poll (Sept. 17, 2026):
- Favorable: 38%
- Unfavorable: 59%
- Net Approval: -21
Civiqs
Most recent Trump approval rating according to the latest Civiqs poll (Sept. 15, 2026):
- Favorable: 34%
- Unfavorable: 60%
- Not sure: 7%
- Net Approval: -26
The Economist
Most recent Trump approval rating, according to the latest polling from The Economist (Sept. 15, 2026):
- Favorable: 35%
- Unfavorable: 60%
- Not sure: 5%
- Net Approval: -25
Reuters/Ipsos
Most recent Trump approval rating, according to the latest from the Reuters/Ipsos poll (Sept. 14, 2026):
- Favorable: 35%
- Unfavorable: 62%
- Net Approval: -27%
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 Nashville Tennessean: Trump's approval rating turns negative in Tennessee, Beacon poll finds
