WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's job approval has fallen to its lowest level in the history of the New York Times/Siena poll, and voters now say they trust Democrats more than Republicans on the economy, according to a survey released two weeks before the 2026 midterm elections.
The poll of 3,494 likely voters, conducted from October 12 to 19, found 36 per cent approve of Trump's job performance while 59 per cent disapprove; among all registered voters, approval drops to 34 per cent, and more than two-thirds of independent voters said they disapprove. The survey carries a margin of error of 1.9 percentage points.
Asked how they would vote in congressional races, respondents said they would back Democratic House candidates by 11 points. Analysts say the results suggest the coalition that helped lift Trump to the White House is fraying, with erosion across multiple groups and a shift in which party voters consider better equipped to handle the economy.
Economic frustration was cited as a driving factor. The finding lands alongside other recent surveys — including an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll in which 59 per cent of Americans said they would rather see the next Congress controlled by Democrats as a check on the president — painting a consistent picture of a difficult closing environment for Republicans.
