Nicolai Haugsted
Fresh polling points to growing trouble for Trump before November elections.
For the first time in nearly a decade, registered voters say Democrats are better equipped to manage the U.S. economy than Republicans, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos survey. The same poll also found President Trump’s overall approval rating slipping to 35%, placing it just above the lowest point of his current term.
The survey, conducted nationwide from Wednesday through Monday, found that 37% of registered voters believe Democrats have the stronger approach to economic policy.
Republicans, long viewed by many voters as the party with the advantage on economic issues, received support from 36% of respondents, while 27% either remained undecided or preferred another political party.
The result marks the first time since 2017 that Democrats have moved ahead in Reuters/Ipsos polling on the economy.
Rising fuel prices reshape political landscape
Republicans maintained an advantage on economic issues throughout most of Trump’s first presidency, continued to hold that edge during Joe Biden’s administration, and carried it into Trump’s second term.
That lead has gradually eroded in recent months.
The poll comes after gasoline prices climbed sharply following the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran earlier this year and the conflict that followed. Average fuel prices have risen by more than 25% since the war began, leaving many Americans paying over one dollar more per gallon than before.
Trump has defended the military action, arguing it was necessary to weaken Iran’s nuclear ambitions, reduce its ability to threaten regional rivals and create conditions for political change inside the country.
Beyond economic concerns, the Reuters/Ipsos poll also pointed to weakening support for the president overall.
Trump’s job approval fell to 35%, down from 37% in the previous Reuters/Ipsos survey conducted last month.
The poll also asked voters how they would cast their ballots if congressional elections were held today.
Forty-two percent said they would support a Democratic candidate, compared with 37% who favored Republicans. Independent voters preferred Democrats by a margin of 12 percentage points.
Republicans will defend narrow majorities in both chambers of Congress when voters head to the polls in November.
Trump rejects unfavorable polling
The president has repeatedly dismissed polling that paints a negative picture of his standing with voters.
Ahead of the Reuters/Ipsos survey becoming public, Trump wrote on Truth Social:
“My REAL Polling Numbers, not those made up by the Fake News Media, are the best they have ever been.”
The Reuters/Ipsos poll surveyed 4,505 adults across the United States and reported a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points.
