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World
A joint poll conducted by the Washington Post and ABC News in cooperation with Ipsos showed that the Republican Party faces a deteriorating political environment, amid increasing American dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump's performance on several issues, including the war with Iran, 6 months before the midterm elections scheduled for next November, in addition to a rise in enthusiasm among Democratic voters to participate in voting.
A joint poll conducted by the "Washington Post" and "ABC News" in cooperation with "Ipsos" showed that the Republican Party faces a deteriorating political environment, amid increasing American dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump's performance on several issues, including the war with Iran, 6 months before the midterm elections scheduled for next November, in addition to a rise in enthusiasm among Democratic voters to participate in voting.
According to the poll results, Trump's approval ratings on economic issues, which were a key factor in his political comeback in 2024, have declined since he launched the war on Iran in late February. 66% of Americans expressed dissatisfaction with his handling of the Iranian issue, compared to 33% who expressed approval.
Trump's approval rating for managing the economy also fell by 7 points to 34%, coinciding with rising fuel prices. His approval rating on inflation dropped by 5 points to 27%, and he recorded his lowest rating on the cost of living issue at 23% compared to 76% disapproving.
According to the "Washington Post", Trump's overall approval rating was 37%, close to the 39% recorded in February, but the disapproval rate rose to 62%, the highest during his two terms.
Among Republicans, approval remained stable at 85%, while it declined among Republican-leaning independents to 56%, and was only 25% among independents overall.
On immigration, Trump received his best ratings at the US-Mexico border with 45% approval versus 54% disapproval, while his overall approval rating on immigration was 40% versus 59% disapproval, with no significant change compared to February polls.
The poll indicated that weak approval ratings threaten the slim majority held by Republicans in the House of Representatives, and the impact could extend to the Senate. It showed that Democrats lead by 5 percentage points among registered voters in voting intentions for House of Representatives elections, compared to a two-point difference in February and October. This gap rises to 9 points among voters who confirmed they would definitely participate in voting.
The results also showed that 73% of Democrats believe that voting this year is more important than previous midterm elections, compared to 52% of Republicans, a shift from 2022 when the percentages were close. Part of the enthusiasm gap is attributed to a division within the Republican base; 77% of "MAGA" movement supporters confirmed their intention to vote, compared to 59% of non-affiliated Republicans, while the percentage among Democrats was 79%.
Regarding confidence in handling key issues, the poll showed a convergence between the two parties on the economy; 34% said they trust Republicans compared to 33% who trust Democrats, after Republicans enjoyed a significant lead in 2022. The gap on immigration also narrowed to 5 points, while Republicans maintained a clear lead on crime, in contrast to Democrats' superiority in healthcare, education, and cost of living.
The poll indicated that significant percentages of Americans do not trust either party to handle major issues, including 27% on the economy and 33% on inflation, while 51% said they do not trust any party to handle artificial intelligence.
Regarding policies, 65% of Americans opposed the proposal to end birthright citizenship compared to 33% who supported it. 78% also opposed cutting federal funding for medical research, 65% opposed increasing the defense budget to 1.5 trillion dollars, and 59% opposed ending the temporary legal status for immigrants from conflict-affected countries.
The poll also showed that 65% of Republicans believe the party should follow Trump's leadership, compared to 34% who prefer a different direction. In evaluating personal qualities, 59% said Trump does not have sufficient mental acuity, 55% said he does not have sufficient physical health, 71% said he is dishonest and untrustworthy, and 67% said he does not carefully consider important decisions, while 54% considered him not a strong leader.
In the evaluation of senior officials, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell recorded the best result with a net positive of 7 points, while the ratings of several other officials were negative, including Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Kennedy Jr.
