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Trump scores lowest midterm voter approval numbers ever in CBS exit poll

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Cite

Dobkin, R. (2026, November 4). Trump scores lowest midterm voter approval numbers ever in CBS exit poll. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-approval-rating-midterms-exit-poll-b3078679.html

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

The Independent · collected 2026-11-04 · by Rachel Dobkin

Quick Summary

Donald Trump received a job approval rating of 38% according to a CBS News exit poll conducted during the midterm elections, marking the lowest such figure for any president since at least 2010. This is a significant decline from his 45% approval in the previous midterms and below ratings received by predecessors like Joe Biden and George W. Bush. The poll highlights widespread voter dissatisfaction with the country's direction, particularly regarding economic issues and the impact of Trump’s military actions against Iran.
Written by AI on 2026-11-04, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On November 3, 2026, U.S. citizens voted in midterm elections that decided control of Congress during President Donald Trump's final two years in office. The election saw a significant shift as Democrats were on track to win control of the House of Representatives, with Rep. Katherine Clark announcing early gains. Republicans previously held 218 seats against 214 for the Democrats, but high voter turnout and discontent over living costs, tariffs, and energy prices fueled by the Iran war likely contributed to Democratic victories. This election also determined governors in 36 states and state legislatures across the country, marking a pivotal moment that could reshape Trump's presidency.

Written for “US Midterm Elections Results” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 132 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted verbatim and was checked against the article text before being stored, so you can find it in the original.
Reading Leans strongly left (beta estimate) Confidence high
Leaning: leans strongly left for article 127094 (high confidence, 4 verified quotes) · logged 2026-11-04

Story

📰 US Midterm Elections Results
Politics · 133 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans strongly left and hedges 9% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
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“Article A discusses the overall context and predictions for the midterm elections, while Article B reports on specific voter approval numbers from an exit poll after the election.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
23
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
9%
2 of 23 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans strongly left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
59/100
The Independent's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
133
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-11-04 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Who wrote this

Rachel Dobkin
101 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 But even with the support of his base, it may not be enough to keep GOP control of Congress in Tuesday’s elections.
2026-11-04 · assertive framing · Trump scores lowest midterm voter approval numbers ever in CBS exit poll
🔮 “And you could hear it slowly getting closer to our position, like it was coming in to check us out.
2026-10-30 · assertive framing · Is Bigfoot hiding out in New Jersey? These Sasquatch hunters have a hunch
🔮 While Trump may have been busy Thursday, he just cleared out his weekend rally schedule.
2026-10-30 · assertive framing · Donald Trump avoids another infamous Minions moment at White House Halloween event following last rally before midterms
🔮 Local officials have placed strict restrictions on water usage because of the drought — and now they may enlist more than a dozen people to make sure residents are following the rules.
2026-10-29 · mixed framing · This major city wants lawn patrol on the beat to enforce water restrictions
🔮 The heat on Trump was turned up when The Wall Street Journal released an article in July 2025 about a bawdy birthday letter Trump reportedly wrote to Epstein in 2003, that read: “May every day be another wonderful secret.”
2026-10-29 · assertive framing · Trump inexplicably decides to riff about Jeffrey Epstein in Ohio while stumping for midterms
🔮 Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced that he will allow the widespread use of unapproved peptide injections despite the Food and Drug Administration previously advising people not to use them.
2026-10-29 · assertive framing · RFK Jr says he will allow widespread unapproved injections despite his FDA advising people not to use them
🔮 Donald Trump’s favorite pollster, Harry Enten from CNN, has predicted that Democrats will win big in next Tuesday’s midterm elections and have a substantial majority in the House of Representatives.
2026-10-28 · mixed framing · Trump’s favorite pollster says Democrats will win big in the midterms and have substantial majority in House
🔮 He will be in Ohio Wednesday to campaign with Vivek Ramaswamy and Sen. Jon Husted, whose body he has taken to admiring lately.
2026-10-28 · mixed framing · Trump rants about ‘loving meat’ and claims solar power fries animals during Texas midterm rallies: Live updates (cloned)
🔮 Log in President Donald Trump has revealed the one condition that will get him to accept the results of the upcoming midterm elections, even if his party loses races.
2026-10-27 · mixed framing · Trump reveals the one condition that will get him to accept midterm results
🔮 Trump has insisted throughout the war that it would be a quick operation, but it has now dragged on for nearly eight months.
2026-10-26 · assertive framing · Obama unloads on Trump over the Iran war and mocks the president’s diplomatic strategy
Also by Rachel Dobkin
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2026-10-30 · The Independent
Donald Trump avoids another infamous Minions moment at White House Halloween event following last rally before midterms
2026-10-30 · The Independent
This major city wants lawn patrol on the beat to enforce water restrictions
2026-10-29 · The Independent
Trump inexplicably decides to riff about Jeffrey Epstein in Ohio while stumping for midterms
2026-10-29 · The Independent
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 101 articles by Rachel Dobkin →

Topics

Democrat Iran Republican the Democratic Party the Republican Party

Subjects

Trump PERSON · 9× Biden PERSON · 2× Democrat NORP · 2× Democrats NORP · 2× Iran GPE · 2× Republican NORP · 2× the Democratic Party ORG · 2× the Republican Party ORG · 2× CBS News ORG · 1× Donald Trump PERSON · 1×

Narrative

More voters have a slightly better view of the Democratic Party than the Republican Party, as recent polling shows Democrats with a real shot at winning reliably red states. Forty-six percent of voters have a favorable opinion of the Democratic Party, while 54 percent have an unfavorable opinion.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-11-04
🔮 But even with the support of his base, it may not be enough to keep GOP control of Congress in Tuesday’s elections.
2026-11-04 · The Independent
Trump scores lowest midterm voter approval numbers ever in CBS exit poll · assertive framing

Claims (23 extracted, 2 hedged)

Donald Trump has scored the lowest voter approval rating of any president during the midterm elections in a new exit poll. asserted
Trump → score → poll
Trump’s job approval rating sits at 38 percent, a CBS News exit poll shows. asserted
poll → sit → percent
It’s also lower than the 44 percent that Joe Biden received in 2022 and the 44 percent that Barack Obama received in 2010. asserted
Obama → ’ → 2010
Even George W. Bush, who was in the midst of his “War on Terror” in the 2006 midterms, received a better approval rating than Trump at 43 percent. asserted
who → receive → percent
Trump has been struggling with his image while trying to use it to boost Republican candidates in the midterms. asserted
Trump → struggle → midterms
The president held almost daily rallies last month and told his supporters to pretend he was on the ballot. asserted
he → hold → ballot
But even with the support of his base, it may not be enough to keep GOP control of Congress in Tuesday’s elections. uncertain
it → keep → elections
Roughly three-quarters of voters are, at the very least, dissatisfied with the direction the country is going as many struggle with the cost of living — an issue Trump promised to make better during his second term and has come up short on. asserted
Trump → go → term
Thirty-eight percent of voters feel angry about the state of the country, while another 37 percent feel dissatisfied. asserted
percent → feel → country
Only 18 percent feel satisfied with how things are going, and 7 percent feel enthusiastic. asserted
percent → feel → ?
Trump has long blamed Biden for the state of the economy – even two years after the Democrat left office. asserted
Democrat → blame → office
But most Americans either feel their finances are worse or about the same as they were when Trump won the 2024 election against Biden’s vice president, Kamala Harris. asserted
Trump → feel → president
Forty-four percent feel their financial situation is worse compared to two years ago, 38 percent feel it’s about the same, and just 18 percent feel it's better. asserted
it → feel → ?
The cost of food was up 2.5 percent in September from the year before, according to the federal government’s Consumer Price Index. uncertain
cost → accord → Index
And energy costs were up a whopping 20.4 percent from last year as Trump’s eight-month-long war in Iran drives up the cost of fuel. asserted
war → drive → fuel
Most voters, including about a quarter of Republicans, think the U.S. made the wrong decision to take military action against Iran. asserted
U.S. → include → Iran
More voters have a slightly better view of the Democratic Party than the Republican Party, as recent polling shows Democrats with a real shot at winning reliably red states. Forty-six percent of voters have a favorable opinion of the Democratic Party, while 54 percent have an unfavorable opinion. asserted
percent → have → opinion
Meanwhile, 41 percent of voters have a favorable opinion of the Republican Party and 59 percent have an unfavorable opinion. asserted
percent → have → opinion
Still, neither party has won over a majority of voters. asserted
party → win → voters
When asked about their vote for the House of Representatives, 59 percent said Trump was a factor in their decision. asserted
Trump → ask → decision
Of those voting Democrat, 78 percent said their vote was to oppose Trump. asserted
vote → vote → Trump
Of those voting Republican, 36 percent said their vote was to support the president, and 62 percent said he was not a factor. asserted
he → vote → president
The Democrats will need three House seats and four Senate seats to gain the majority. asserted
Democrats → need → majority
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