Post-Ipsos Survey: Donald Trump's Popularity Plummets Under Pressure from Economy and Iran

The popularity of United States President Donald Trump is reported to be in steady decline amid high living costs and public pessimism regarding the handling of the conflict with Iran. According to the latest poll from the Washington Post-Ipsos, a majority of Americans give a negative assessment of the president’s performance on a number of crucial issues. Trump’s current public approval rating is stalled at 37 per cent, a figure identical to his position when he left office in January 2021. Meanwhile, the disapproval rate has reached 61 per cent. Among registered voters, support for Trump stands at 40 per cent, largely unchanged since last spring. One of the most striking findings in the survey is the waning enthusiasm among Republican voters, who have been Trump’s main base of support for the past decade. Only 15 per cent of respondents stated they strongly approve of his performance, down from 19 per cent in February. This condition is a danger signal for the Republican Party, which is striving to maintain control of Congress in the midterm elections this November. If the Democrats manage to take over one or both chambers of Congress, the dynamics of Trump’s administration in the final two years of his term are predicted to change drastically. The economic sector, which was considered a strength during Trump’s first term, has now turned into a political liability. Only 33 per cent of Americans approve of the current government’s economic management. Foreign policy, particularly regarding Iran, also received a poor report card with an approval rating of just 29 per cent. Although Trump promised that negotiations would lower fuel prices, the public remains sceptical. The average price of petrol is US$3.89 per gallon, much higher than before the US and Israeli strikes on Iran. Around 68 per cent of Americans believe a war with Iran is not worth fighting. This figure is comparable to the lowest point of public support for the war in Afghanistan in 2013. Furthermore, two-thirds of respondents are not confident that either military action or negotiations can currently prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Overall, more than half of Americans assess that the United States’ leadership in the eyes of the world is weakening under Trump’s current leadership.