President Donald Trump's approval rating remains low as Americans express pessimism about the Iran war and continued economic worries, according to a USA TODAY review of five polls released in August.
The August polls released by Marquette Law School (Aug. 5 and 6), Economist/YouGov (Aug. 11), Reuters/Ipsos (Aug. 17 and Aug. 24) and Emerson College (Aug. 20) were conducted across the country with different groups of likely voters or American adults, but they all told a similar story.
Americans are getting ready to head to the voting booth in November as primary season across the U.S. nears its close. Economic concerns and dismay over the war against Iran are ramping up, and Democrats see a slight edge over their Republican colleagues in the midterm
race to control Congress.
Trump's approval rating is still low
The president's approval rating remained a net negative and sat in the low to high 30-percentage-point range in most polling. The Marquette Law School poll saw a slight jump from June's 38% approval rating to an August-reported 40% of Americans approving of Trump.
Economist/YouGov and Reuters/Ipsos reported 33% approval ratings, which fell two or three points from more recent polls. Emerson's poll reported a slightly higher rate, with 39.5% of Americans approving of Trump while 55.8% disapproved.
Trump is seeing positive approval ratings in only Wyoming, Idaho and West Virginia, according to an Economist/YouGov projection on Aug. 21 which found more people disapproving than approving of the president in the other 47 states and Washington, D.C.
It's midterm season, which is a historical low point for the president, but factors like the Iran war and increasing partisanship in the U.S. contribute to Trump's numbers being particularly lower than those of his predecessors, according to Pew Research Center.
"The partisan divide over Trump’s job performance reflects a longer-term trend," researchers Shanay Gracia and Jocelyn Kiley wrote for Pew. "While presidential approval ratings have always been partisan, the gap between how Republicans and Democrats see presidents has increased over the last several decades."
The president slammed recent polling as "Fake Polls" by "Radical Left Democrats."
"They’re putting them out at levels never seen before," Trump said in an Aug. 24 Truth Social post. "They’re called 'Demoralization Operations,' where they try to demoralize Republicans so that they don’t go out and vote – But the actual Polls are tremendous, and the Spirit in our Country has never been higher."
USA TODAY is unable to identify the polls that the president says are tremendous.
Democrats have a slight midterm lead
Another finding across multiple polls was a slight edge by Democrats on the generic ballot in the upcoming midterm elections.
In Marquette's August poll, 46% of registered voters preferred Democrats on the generic ballot, compared with 44% for Republicans. Among likely voters, though, the Democrats' lead over Republicans increased, with 51% of likely voters saying they would vote for the Democratic candidate in their districts, and only 45% preferring the Republican candidate.
Economist/YouGov and Emerson each had the Democratic lead on generic ballots sitting at around 8 percentage points, but for Emerson's poll, that was down from an 11.4 percentage point lead the previous month.
The polls offer a glimmer of hope for Democrats and their voters, who hope that the party can shrink the Republican majority in Congress – or capture it – this midterm season. Right now, Republicans control the Senate 53-47 (with two in the minority being independent), while their lead in the House sits at 218-212.
The Iran war is unpopular among Americans
Support for U.S. military action against Iran is at a new low, with support falling among Republicans as well, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
The poll released on Aug. 24 reported that only 31% of Americans approve of the operation, which is down from 37% in March and even earlier in August, when 34% of Americans approved. According to a Reuters analysis of the polling results, the decline is driven by more Republicans turning against the war.
That poll wasn't alone in reporting Americans' negative feelings on the war. Reuters/Ipsos also reported that 80% of Americans, including 87% of Democrats and 71% of Republicans, believed U.S. involvement with Iran would continue for an “extended period of time.” Ten percent of adults polled by Emerson felt that the war was the more important issue to them.
The Iran action started on Feb. 28, and Trump is still doubling down on claims, as recently as Aug. 21, that Iran is a "little detour." The president has held firm in his messaging that the priority is ensuring Iran does not have a nuclear weapon.
Economic concerns rising for Americans
Across multiple polls, American adults and voters said that economic factors are their top concern.
Emerson respondents cited economic factors such as inflation, jobs and taxes as an important issue in the United States, with 36.5% ranking it as the top issue. Those polled by Reuters/Ipsos cited rising gas prices as a concern amid the Iran conflict.
In Marquette's poll, 35% of Americans said inflation and the cost of living was their top issue, and the economy was right behind it, with 15% listing it as their second highest concern.
Economic concerns are historically a driving factor for voters, and could explain why Democrats are leading in polls while the president's approval rating remains low.
"By a wide margin, voters most want candidates running for Congress to talk about economic issues – with many specifically mentioning prices and affordability," the Pew Research Center's Andrew Daniller, Andy Cerda, Hannah Hartig and J. Baxter Oliphant wrote in late July.
Economic experts have pointed to some positive factors, but they note that Americans are still feeling the pain in their pockets. Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, posted in August on X about inflation and expensive gas at the pumps wiping out wage gains.
"For middle-income and lower-income Americans, this is the key issue. There will likely be some belt-tightening ahead," Long said in an Aug. 12 post. That same day, though, she noted that inflation eased slightly in July, according to government data.
Contributing: Michael Loria, Fernando Cervantes Jr.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Iran war is unpopular as Trump battles low approval ratings: Recent polls
