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Trump approval hits record-low 31 percent, polls show Republican struggles

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Al Jazeera Staff. (2026, October 19). Trump approval hits record-low 31 percent, polls show Republican struggles. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/19/trump-approval-hits-record-low-31-percent-polls-show-republican-struggles?traffic_source=rss

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Al Jazeera · collected 2026-10-19 · by Al Jazeera Staff

Quick Summary

Donald Trump's approval rating has hit a new low at 31 percent according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, the lowest in his political career. The same poll shows Republicans trailing Democrats by 12 points when asked about voting preferences for generic candidates. This decline coincides with growing disapproval following events such as the US-Israel war on Iran, which has increased fuel prices and economic concerns. Polls indicate voter frustration ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, where control of the House and Senate could shift based on public sentiment towards Trump's leadership.
Written by AI on 2026-10-19, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

As of October 18, 2026, President Donald Trump's approval rating has hit a record low of 31%, according to an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll. The same poll indicates that nearly 7 in 10 Americans disapprove of his performance, marking another unprecedented dip since the beginning of the US-Israel war on Iran in February. This trend is further highlighted by a Reuters/Ipsos survey also showing Democrats leading Republicans in voter preference for generic congressional candidates by 12 points. The poll was conducted from October 9 to 13, 2026, among 2,545 U.S. adults, with an error margin of ±2 percentage points overall and ±2.2 points among registered voters. These findings come just weeks before the midterm elections, signaling a significant challenge for the Republican Party as many Americans view the country's direction negatively due to rising costs and economic impacts from ongoing conflicts.

Written for “Trump Approval Rating Hits Record Low” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Trump Approval Rating Hits Record Low
Politics · 3 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans left and hedges 33% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Trump’s approval rating hits record new low as midterms loom Same event
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⚖️ Leans left Hedges 2 of 22 claims Outlet record 59/100
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⚖️ Leans left Hedges 3 of 15 claims Outlet record 60/100
“The articles describe different polls with distinct findings on voter sentiment and approval ratings for Trump, not a single specific incident.”
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Hedges 12 of 129 claims Outlet record 60/100
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⚖️ Leans strongly left further left than this Hedges 3 of 22 claims Outlet record 61/100
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Washington Examiner
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 1 of 3 claims Outlet record 69/100
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Washington Examiner
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 1 of 30 claims Outlet record 69/100
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The Guardian
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 0 of 14 claims Outlet record 66/100
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Trump’s approval ratings plummet: what that means for the US midterms Different event
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⚖️ Leans left Hedges 16 of 39 claims Outlet record 60/100
“While both articles discuss Trump's low approval ratings based on a Reuters/Ipsos poll, they focus on different aspects and implications of the event.”
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⚖️ Leans left Hedges 2 of 86 claims Outlet record 67/100
“While both articles report on low approval ratings for Trump and a disadvantageous position for Republicans, they cite different polls conducted at different times.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
6
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
33%
2 of 6 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
60/100
Al Jazeera's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
3
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-19 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Running correction rate · 3 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Al Jazeera Staff
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Wire or desk byline, not an individual reporter.
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Topics

Americans Democrat Republican Party Reuters United States

Subjects

Trump PERSON · 6× Americans NORP · 2× 3US GPE · 1× Democrat NORP · 1× Democrats NORP · 1× Donald Trump PERSON · 1× Republican NORP · 1× Republican Party ORG · 1× Reuters ORG · 1× United States GPE · 1×

Narrative

Recommended Stories list of 3 items- list 1 of 3Majority in US say Trump prioritises personal wealth over all else: Poll - list 2 of 3US inflation rises before midterm elections, fuelling rate hike fears - list 3 of 3Ahead of US midterms, voters are frustrated with Trump, want change: Poll The percentage of Americans who disapprove of Trump has grown steadily in recent months, especially since the February 28 launch of the US-Israel war on Iran, which has driven up petrol and diesel prices and had knock-on effects across the economy.
framing: mixed · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-19
🔮 The same poll found Trump’s Republican Party also at a major disadvantage: when respondents were asked whether they would rather vote for a generic, unnamed Democrat or Republican, Democrats led by 12 points.
2026-10-19 · Al Jazeera
Trump approval hits record-low 31 percent, polls show Republican struggles · mixed framing

Claims (6 extracted, 2 hedged)

United States President Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen to 31 percent – another record low in his political career, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. uncertain
rating → fall → poll
The same poll found Trump’s Republican Party also at a major disadvantage: when respondents were asked whether they would rather vote for a generic, unnamed Democrat or Republican, Democrats led by 12 points. asserted
Democrats → find → points
Recommended Stories list of 3 items- list 1 of 3Majority in US say Trump prioritises personal wealth over all else: Poll - list 2 of 3US inflation rises before midterm elections, fuelling rate hike fears - list 3 of 3Ahead of US midterms, voters are frustrated with Trump, want change: Poll The percentage of Americans who disapprove of Trump has grown steadily in recent months, especially since the February 28 launch of the US-Israel war on Iran, which has driven up petrol and diesel prices and had knock-on effects across the economy. asserted
which → say → economy
Several recent polls have documented the growing problems facing Trump and his party ahead of midterm elections, set for November 3, which could determine control of the House and Senate. uncertain
which → document → House
An NBC poll released Sunday found 71 percent of Americans said the country was on the “wrong track” and 55 percent would vote for the Democratic Party if an election were held that day. asserted
election → release → Party
A Washington Post/ABC/Ipsos poll, also released on Monday, found Trump had a record-low approval rating of 33 percent, with 7 out of 10 saying petrol or gasoline was becoming unaffordable. asserted
petrol → release → 10
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