A Financial Times poll conducted by Focaldata found that only 33% of registered voters approve of Donald Trump's performance as president, the lowest number recorded since May and a three-point decrease from the previous month. The majority of those polled rejected Trump's trade and tariff policy, with 57% saying they are worse off financially under his presidency. Almost two-thirds (63%) said they believe the economy is heading in the wrong direction, with only 53% of Republican voters supporting Trump's handling of jobs and the economy, an almost eight-point drop from the previous month. The poll is a concern for Republicans ahead of the midterm elections in November, as Americans increasingly identify as Democrats, with the latest Gallup data showing a six-point advantage over Republicans in party identification.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-07,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Donald Trump's approval rating has dropped to 33%, the lowest since May, according to a poll conducted by Financial Times and Focaldata. The poll suggests that pessimism about the economy and cost of living among Americans is a primary reason for the drop, with almost two-thirds (63%) of registered voters believing the economy is heading in the wrong direction. Additionally, 57% of those polled said they were worse off financially under Trump's presidency, and only 53% of Republican voters approve of how he has handled jobs and the economy. These numbers represent a decline from previous months, and come as fuel costs hit an unprecedented high in the US, with diesel prices soaring to $5.85 per gallon.
Written for “Trump Approval Rating Falls” on 2026-09-07,
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Leaning score -0.35 for article 6472 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-09-07
Donald Trump’s approval rating has dropped to a record low in a major poll, presenting a headache for Republicans in the lead up to the midterm elections.
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rating → drop → elections
Less than two months before November’s elections, a Financial Times poll carried out by Focaldata found that only 33 percent of registered voters approve of Trump’s performance as president.
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percent → carry → president
This is the lowest number recorded since the newspaper began asking the question in May and a three-point decrease from the previous month.
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newspaper → record → month
Pessimism about the economy and the cost of living among Americans was a primary reason for Trump’s dropping numbers, the poll suggested, as the majority of those polled rejected his trade and tariff policy.
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majority → drop → policy
Almost two-thirds of registered voters said they believed the economy was heading in the wrong direction, and 57 percent said they were worse off financially under the Trump presidency.
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they → register → presidency
Only 53 percent of Republican voters said they were in favor of how Trump has handled jobs and the economy, representing an almost eight-point drop from the previous month.
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Trump → say → month
It comes as fuel costs hit an unprecedented high in the U.S. on Friday, with diesel soaring to a record national average of $5.85 a gallon as the ongoing war with Iran continues to disrupt global fuel flows.
Trump on Friday backed up comments from his vice president and insisted the Iran conflict is a relatively minor operation, rather than a full-on war.
"I call it a military conflict because it's small potatoes for us,” the president told reporters in the Oval Office.
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president → come → Office
“It’s not a big thing.
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It → ’ → ?
During his comments on Friday, the president also downplayed the centrality of the Hormuz Strait, another important aspect of the war.
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president → downplay → war
The president claimed that new pipelines, shipping routes and overland oil transport would replace the key waterway, which is a major global oil hub.
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which → claim → waterway
“The Hormuz Strait is not what it used to be,” Trump said.
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Trump → use → ?
Iran has used its proximity to the strait to hamstring global oil trade and continues to exert leverage over the U.S., though the president claimed the waterway was dwindling in importance.
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waterway → use → importance
“They’re going to end up with a Hormuz Strait that’s not very necessary anymore,” he said.
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he → go → Strait
The poll will make for tough reading for Republicans who hope to retain control of the House and Senate in November's elections.
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who → make → elections
A separate poll found that a growing number of Americans now identify as Democrats.
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number → find → Democrats
The latest Gallup data shows 31 percent of U.S. adults identified as Democrats in the second quarter of 2026, compared with 25 percent who identified as Republicans.
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who → show → Republicans
