Trump’s approval rating drops below 30% for first time in both terms

President Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen below 30 percent for the first time across both his White House terms, Newsweek reports.

The poll, conducted September 16-20 by American Research Group among 1,100 American adults, put Trump’s overall approval at 29 percent, with only 26 percent rating his economic performance positively. Some 72 percent of respondents said the economy was worsening, while 68 percent disapproved of Trump’s job performance overall, up two points from August.

Kyle Kondik of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics in a statement, said that “dissatisfaction with the economy/inflation is probably the biggest reason why,” noting the numbers were “worse now than they were eight years ago.”

The last time a president’s rating dropped this low was George W. Bush during the 2008 financial crisis, according to Gallup.

Fewer than 20 percent of respondents viewed their household finances positively, compared to 75 percent who viewed them negatively, even as inflation remained elevated at 3.4 percent over the past year.

With Trump and Vice President JD Vance now touring the country to shore up midterm support, the sliding numbers suggest their economic messaging faces a steep climb ahead of November.