Exclusive-Trump’s approval hits new 36% low as fuel prices surge amid Iran war, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

By Jason Lange and Bo Erickson

WASHINGTON, March 24 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s approval rating fell in recent days to its lowest point since he returned to the White House, hit by a surge in fuel prices and widespread disapproval of the war he launched on Iran, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.

The four-day poll, completed on Monday, showed 36% of Americans approve of Trump’s job performance, down from 40% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted last week.

Americans’ views on Trump soured significantly with regard to his stewardship over the economy and the cost of living, as gasoline prices have surged since the U.S. and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran on February 28. Just 25% of respondents approved of Trump’s handling of the cost of living, an issue that was at the center of his 2024 presidential election campaign.

Only 29% of the country approves of Trump’s economic stewardship, the lowest rating in either of Trump’s presidential administrations and lower than any economic approval rating of his predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden. Voters’ worries about the economy and specifically the rising cost of living were a significant factor in Biden’s loss and Trump campaigned on a promise to create a vibrant economy.  

Analysts said the poll points to a president facing significant public opposition.

“It’s important that people know that the president feels their pain and that help is on the way,” said Amanda Makki, a Republican political strategist and lawyer.

WAR CONCERNS WEIGH

Trump’s standing within his Republican Party remains mostly strong. Only about one in five Republicans said they disapprove of his overall performance in the White House, little changed from about one in seven last week. But the share of Republicans who disapprove of his handling of the cost of living rose to 34% from 27% last week. 

Trump’s overall approval rating was 47% in the first days of his presidency and since last summer had largely held around 40%. It remains above his first administration’s low point of 33%, and a touch higher than Biden’s low of 35%.

The war in Iran could be changing that for a president who took office promising to avoid “stupid wars.” The survey found 35% of Americans approve of the U.S. strikes on Iran, down from 37% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted last week. Some 61% disapproved of the strikes, compared to 59% last week.

Earlier Reuters/Ipsos surveys were conducted in the immediate aftermath of the first U.S. and Israeli strikes, when many Americans were still learning about the situation, and respondents were given the option of saying they were unsure of their views. 

A February 28–March 1 Reuters/Ipsos poll found 27% approved of the strikes, 43% disapproved and 29% were unsure.

The most recent surveys don’t give the option of being unsure, though 5% of respondents to the latest poll declined to answer the question on their view of the war. 

MORE TROOPS TO REGION

Some 46% of respondents said the war in Iran will make the U.S. less safe in the long run, according to the latest poll. Only 26% said it would make the country safer and the rest said it wouldn’t have much effect either way. While Trump in recent days has suggested the war could soon wind down, Iran has disputed Trump’s claims that negotiations were underway and Reuters reported on Tuesday that Washington is expected to send thousands of additional soldiers to the Middle East. 

The average price of gasoline in America has surged by about a dollar a gallon since the war started, as the conflict has severely curtailed oil shipments from the Middle East to the rest of the world. Experts warn that persistently higher fuel prices will eventually hit the wider economy.

Already, some 63% of Americans consider the U.S. economy to be “somewhat weak” or “very weak,” the poll found. That included 40% of Republicans, 66% of independents and 84% of Democrats. 

“This provides a huge opportunity for Democrats to make major strides in the midterms by focusing on issues that are traditionally more Republican issues, like national security, the economy and immigration,” said Doug Farrar, a Democratic strategist.

Trump’s declining popularity did not correlate with swelling support for Democrats as they look to break Republican control of Congress in the November midterm elections. Some 38% of registered voters in the Reuters/Ipsos poll said Republicans were the better stewards of the U.S. economy, compared to 34% who picked Democrats on the issue. 

Republicans were also favored on their response to immigration and crime, while Democrats held the edge on healthcare and women’s rights.

The poll, which was conducted online and nationwide, gathered responses from 1,272 U.S. adults and had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

(Reporting by Jason Lange and Bo Erickson; Editing by Scott Malone and Alistair Bell)