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Trump approval falls to record low of 32% as high costs bite, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

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The Straits Times. (2026, September 21). Trump approval falls to record low of 32% as high costs bite, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/world/united-states/trump-approval-falls-to-record-low-of-32-as-high-costs-bite-reutersipsos-poll-finds

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The Straits Times · collected 2026-09-21 · by The Straits Times

Quick Summary

President Donald Trump's approval rating dropped to a record low of 32% according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, conducted from September 16-20. This decline is attributed largely to dissatisfaction among Republicans regarding the high costs associated with the ongoing Iran war and inflation. The poll also indicates that only 73% of Republicans now approve of Trump's performance, down from 82% a week earlier.
Written by AI on 2026-09-22, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

President Donald Trump's approval rating fell to 32% — its lowest point in his political career — according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted from September 17-20, 2025. This decline was driven by Republican dissatisfaction with his handling of the cost of living, particularly since he launched an unpopular war on Iran in February that has significantly increased gasoline and diesel prices. Only 17% of respondents approved of Trump's management of living costs, a critical issue leading up to the November 3 midterm elections where Republicans are defending narrow majorities in Congress. The poll also showed a decrease in Republican approval from 82% to 73% over just one week.

Written for “Trump Approval Rating Falls Low” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 5 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Trump Approval Rating Falls Low
Politics · 6 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans left and hedges 8% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Al Jazeera
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 0 of 10 claims Outlet record 60/100
The Independent
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 1 of 22 claims Outlet record 59/100
The Straits Times
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 0 of 11 claims Outlet record 66/100
The Bulwark
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 0 of 6 claims
“The articles describe different events; one focuses on Trump threatening to demolish the Kennedy Center if his name isn't on it, while the other reports a record low approval rating for Trump based on a poll.”
The Straits Times
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 0 of 11 claims Outlet record 66/100
The Independent
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 4 of 20 claims Outlet record 59/100
“The articles describe different polls with slightly varying focus and timing.”
NBC News
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 4 of 65 claims Outlet record 60/100
“The articles describe different polls conducted on different dates with varying approval ratings and details.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
26
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
8%
2 of 26 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
66/100
The Straits Times's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
6
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-22 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Straits Times · 4203 article(s) · 5 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 5 correction(s)

Who wrote this

The Straits Times
2735 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 The results of the five-day nationwide poll also showed signs the race between Democrats and Republicans could be tightening ahead of Election Day.
🔮 Donald Trump chose Washington’s Reflecting Pool – an iconic landmark where botched repairs came to symbolise the 80-year-old’s chaotic presidency – for a final speech on Nov 2 to rally Republicans against a predicted tide of Democratic victories in midterm elections.
🔮 PARIS - Exceeding 1.5 deg C of global warming will have “irreversible” consequences for glaciers, sea ice and the Earth’s frozen regions, two UN reports warned on Nov 2, calling for urgent action.
🔮 “We have stated that, if Iran’s demands are met, it would be possible to restore security to the Strait of Hormuz and resume the negotiating process within a short period.”
🔮 "The Russians could not have been unaware that every week residents who have remained in Komyshuvakha were receiving assistance aid right there.
🔮 Escalating a legal fight that could affect thousands of voters in the November 3 midterm elections, the Justice Department filed the emergency request as it seeks to prevent counting the disputed ballots until each voter's citizenship status can be verified.
🔮 How it plays out over the coming days or weeks could have a significant impact on next year's parliamentary election and potentially push Poland closer to US President Donald Trump and away from the European mainstream.
2026-11-02 · assertive framing · Explainer-What's behind Poland's constitutional crisis?
🔮 Houthi official Hamid Rizq posted a video, which Reuters could not immediately verify, of what he said were the group's fighters entering Souq al-Rabouh in Maqatirah district.
🔮 "The worst forecasts are coming true.
2026-11-02 · assertive framing · Seven migrants die in seas off Spain's Canary Islands
🔮 • Critics notably say CNews'agenda increasingly follows the lines taken by Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally (RN), from which the channel could benefit if, as polls suggest, Le Pen wins the 2027 Presidential election and fulfils her promise to privatise public broadcasting, which CNews has long criticised.
Also by The Straits Times
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 2735 articles by The Straits Times →

Topics

Iran Republicans Reuters Reuters/Ipsos WASHINGTON

Subjects

Trump PERSON · 12× Republicans NORP · 9× Iran GPE · 6× Americans NORP · 3× Congress ORG · 3× Democrats NORP · 3× Reuters ORG · 3× Reuters/Ipsos ORG · 3× Republican NORP · 2× WASHINGTON GPE · 2×

Narrative

The poll results on congressional voting plans provide an overall view of which party Americans nationwide want to see in charge in Congress, though the results don’t capture all the nuances of the state-by-state and district-by-district contests that determine control of the Senate and House of Representatives.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-22
🔮 The poll, completed on Sept 20, was conducted over a four-day period that saw Trump throw three major news organisations out of the White House and muse that Washington’s iconic Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts – named after slain President John F. Kennedy – could be torn down if Trump’s own name could not be added to it.

Claims (26 extracted, 2 hedged)

Trump approval falls to record low of 32% as high costs bite, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds WASHINGTON - asserted
poll → fall → %
President Donald Trump’s approval rating fell to 32 per cent - the lowest of his political career - as his fellow Republicans soured on his handling of the cost of living amid the unpopular Iran war, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll found. asserted
poll → fall → war
The poll, completed on Sept 20, was conducted over a four-day period that saw Trump throw three major news organisations out of the White House and muse that Washington’s iconic Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts – named after slain President John F. Kennedy – could be torn down if Trump’s own name could not be added to it. uncertain
name → complete → it
It found voters leaning away from supporting Trump’s fellow Republicans in the Nov 3 midterm elections that will determine control of Congress for the next two years. asserted
that → find → years
Trump returned to the White House in January 2025 on promises to tame inflation and end foreign wars. asserted
Trump → return → wars
In a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in the hours after he was sworn in, he enjoyed a 47 per cent approval rating. asserted
he → conduct → rating
Just 17 per cent of respondents in the new poll approved of his handling of the cost of living - the top issue Americans say will determine how they vote in November. asserted
they → approve → November
Iran war takes a toll asserted
war → take → toll
Dissatisfaction among Republicans on inflation has been growing since Trump launched the war on Iran in February that has pushed gasoline and diesel prices sharply higher. asserted
that → grow → prices
Now for the first time, Republicans who disapprove of Trump’s handling of the cost of living outnumber those who give him a thumbs up - 51 per cent to 44 per cent. asserted
who → disapprove → thumbs
Trump’s approval rating is lower than any recorded for his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, whose presidency was also marked by surging inflation and who ultimately ended his reelection bid after a poor debate performance heightened concerns about his age. asserted
performance → record → age
Biden’s low was 35 per cent, reached in late October 2024. asserted
low → reach → October
Only 34 per cent of the most recent poll respondents approve of the strikes on Iran. asserted
cent → approve → Iran
The conflict has cut the world off from a significant slice of the oil and gas produced in the Middle East, and threatens to stoke higher inflation in the US and elsewhere as businesses pass on higher fuel costs to consumers. asserted
businesses → cut → consumers
Trump initially said the conflict would last a few weeks and that Iran needed to be bombed to stop it from developing nuclear weapons. asserted
Iran → say → weapons
Earlier in September, the Republican leader pledged the war would end “immediately after” the election. asserted
war → pledge → election
But Iran has shown no sign of giving up and in recent weeks Tehran and its allies have threatened further disruptions to oil markets. asserted
Tehran → show → markets
Some 82 per cent of poll respondents - including nine in ten Democrats and three-quarters of Republicans - said the conflict would likely go on for an “extended period of time.” asserted
conflict → include → time
The Reuters/Ipsos poll showed registered voters in the poll picked Democrats over Republicans - 43 per cent to 35 per cent - when asked how they would vote in the midterms. asserted
they → show → midterms
For Republicans, losing control of either chamber could complicate Trump’s agenda in the last two years of his term. uncertain
losing → lose → term
The poll results on congressional voting plans provide an overall view of which party Americans nationwide want to see in charge in Congress, though the results don’t capture all the nuances of the state-by-state and district-by-district contests that determine control of the Senate and House of Representatives. asserted
that → provide → Representatives
Trump remains popular among Republicans on the issue of immigration - with 79 per cent of his party backing him - but only 36 per cent of Americans overall support his approach to the matter and 55 per cent disapprove. asserted
cent → remain → matter
Some Republican allies in Congress have warned that his aggressive campaign to deport people in the country illegally risks alienating voters with family who recently immigrated to America, like some Hispanics. asserted
who → warn → Hispanics
Some 35 per cent of poll respondents approve of Trump’s approach to fighting crime, compared to 50 per cent who disapprove. asserted
who → approve → cent
The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online and gathered 1,277 responses from US adults nationwide. asserted
poll → conduct → adults
It had a margin of error of 3 percentage points. asserted
It → have → points
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