Trump Approval Sinks to 33% in New Poll as Economic Concerns Weigh on Voters

President Donald Trump’s job approval rating has fallen to 33% in a new Financial Times/Focaldata poll, the lowest level recorded since the FT began tracking the question in May, as economic concerns and dissatisfaction over trade policy weigh on voters less than two months before the midterm elections.

The nationwide survey showed Trump’s approval declining by roughly three percentage points from the previous month, continuing a downward trend in the FT’s polling series.

The decline was also evident among Republicans. Trump’s approval among GOP voters dropped by more than two percentage points to 72%, while 53% of Republicans approved of his handling of jobs and the economy, a decline of nearly eight points from the prior month.

Voters expressed even greater dissatisfaction when asked specifically about the condition of the economy.

Nearly two-thirds of registered voters said they believed the economy was moving in the wrong direction. Fifty-seven percent reported that they were financially worse off under Trump, compared with 53% who said the same a month earlier.

The economic concerns come amid sharply higher fuel costs. Diesel, heavily relied upon by the nation’s transportation, industrial and agricultural sectors, reached a record $5.85 per gallon Friday, according to AAA figures cited by the Financial Times. The increase has come amid disruptions connected to the U.S. war with Iran and elevated borrowing costs.

Trump’s trade policies drew particularly strong opposition in the survey.

Fifty-six percent of voters said they disapproved of Trump’s 50% tariff on approximately $20 billion worth of Canadian goods. That group included more than 60% of independent voters and nearly one-third of Republicans.

Canada has responded to the U.S. tariffs by imposing duties of as much as 50% on American imports, further escalating the trade dispute between the neighboring countries.

The polling comes as the Republican National Committee prepares to hold an unusual two-day midterm convention in Dallas next week, with Trump scheduled to play a prominent role in the gathering.

The survey also found concern among some voters about Trump’s impact on Republican congressional candidates. Forty-six percent said they believed the president was making it more difficult for GOP candidates to win in November, including more than half of independents. Among independent voters, 47% said an endorsement from Trump would make them less likely to support a candidate.

Democrats, meanwhile, held a 7.5-percentage-point advantage over Republicans among registered voters on the generic congressional ballot, an increase from a five-point advantage the previous month. Among likely voters, Focaldata reported a Democratic lead of approximately seven points.

MAGA Inc., the pro-Trump super PAC that has amassed a $400 million war chest, disclosed Saturday that it was spending $10 million on advertising to support Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican Senate nominee, in his race against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico.

A White House spokesperson told the Financial Times that the administration “remains committed to implementing a proven economic agenda of tax cuts, deregulation and energy abundance,” citing the August employment report as evidence of continued private-sector job growth.

The poll cited by the Financial Times was conducted by Focaldata in late August and early September. The published FT survey reported a 33% approval rating for Trump, although Focaldata’s own summary of its latest polling reports the figure as 32%, apparently reflecting differences in the underlying sample or tabulation.

{Matzav.com}