Trump approval holds at 32%, near lowest of his career, Reuters Ipsos poll finds

A new Reuters/Ipsos survey conducted in early November 2026 finds former President Donald Trump’s approval rating holding at 32 percent, a level the pollster describes as near the lowest point of his political career. The Times of India, Asbury Park Press, Newsweek and USA Today all picked up the Reuters wire story on 9 November 2026, each framing the result around two dominant pressures: escalating confrontation with Iran and persistent cost-of-living concerns among U.S. voters. Reuters notes the fieldwork was completed before the most recent exchange of strikes in the Persian Gulf, meaning the 32 percent figure does not yet reflect any immediate rally or backlash from those events. USA Today highlights that the reading represents a drop from September, when the same tracker recorded a modestly higher approval level, while Newsweek contextualizes the slide against the backdrop of Republican losses in the 2026 midterm elections. Asbury Park Press publishes a standalone explainer titled “What is Trump’s approval rating? Trump approval rating today,” indicating heightened public search interest in the metric itself.

Coverage emphasizes the dual drag of foreign policy and pocketbook issues. The Times of India’s headline explicitly links “Iran war” and “cost of living” as the twin drivers, while Reuters’ own report quotes the Ipsos pollster noting that disapproval of Trump’s handling of the Iran situation has risen sharply since October. USA Today adds that economic approval sub-indices remain underwater, with more than six in ten respondents saying the country is on the wrong track financially. Newsweek’s retrospective piece traces the trajectory from the midterm “drubbing” through a series of policy setbacks, arguing the current floor is structurally reinforced by partisan polarization that limits upward movement. All four outlets rely on the same Reuters/Ipsos dataset; no independent polling is cited in the cluster.

Background context includes the November 2026 midterms, in which Democrats flipped the House and narrowed the Senate gap, a result widely interpreted as a referendum on Trump’s endorsement record. Since then, the administration’s Iran policy has moved from sanctions pressure to direct kinetic action, including the 3 November strike on Natanz-adjacent facilities that triggered Iranian missile retaliation against U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria. Simultaneously, the Consumer Price Index release on 1 November showed core inflation ticking up to 3.4 percent year-over-year, reviving voter anxiety about grocery and energy bills. The Reuters/Ipsos poll’s rolling methodology—approximately 1,000 adults interviewed online each week—means the 32 percent figure is a three-day rolling average centered on 6 November, before the latest Iranian barrage on 8 November.

What to watch next: the next Reuters/Ipsos release, scheduled for 16 November, will capture sentiment after the 8 November Iranian missile strikes and any presidential address. Congressional leadership has signaled a War Powers Resolution vote the week of 16 November, which could force a public cleavage between Trump and Senate Republicans. The Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs report on 6 December will provide fresh economic data ahead of the year-end spending bill negotiations. No other major polling outlets have released November approval data as of 10 November, so the Reuters/Ipsos series remains the sole high-frequency tracker in the field.