Trump Approval Near Lowest Amid Rising Gas Prices and Iran Conflict

A Reuters/Ipsos survey conducted on Monday revealed that President Donald Trump's approval rating has stayed close to the lowest levels of his political career over recent days, with most Americans anticipating continued increases in gasoline prices amid the ongoing conflict with Iran.

Trump's performance received support from approximately 35% of respondents, unchanged from a previous Reuters/Ipsos poll in mid-May. This figure is slightly above his lowest approval rating during his current presidency, which was 34% in an April Reuters/Ipsos survey, and also close to the lowest point of his first term at 33% in December 2017.

The Republican leader has faced widespread dissatisfaction for several months due to his decision to engage in war with Iran, a move that has contributed to rising gasoline prices.

Despite a slight drop in fuel prices in recent weeks amid expectations of an end to the conflict with Iran, about 59% of the 6-day survey participants expect fuel prices in the United States to increase over the next year. In contrast, 17% believe prices will decrease, while the remainder are undecided or expect prices to remain stable.

On February 28, Trump ordered attacks on Iran in coordination with the US ally Israel. Iran responded with counterattacks, which led to a halt in most shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a passage that previously handled one-fifth of global oil trade. Although the frequency of attacks and counterattacks has declined since April, peace talks have yet to produce a lasting agreement.

Only 22% of survey respondents approved of Trump's handling of the cost of living for American families, while 70% disapproved. Currently, Americans express greater dissatisfaction with Trump's performance on this issue compared to his predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden, whose approval rating on this matter was 29% at the end of his presidency, with 63% disapproving.

Biden faced years of inflation increases that ultimately impacted his party in the 2024 presidential election and contributed to Trump's victory over Democrat Kamala Harris. Trump campaigned on promises to address inflation, but persistently high fuel prices continue to affect his party's prospects of maintaining control of Congress in the November midterm elections.

Approximately 36% of respondents supported the US attacks on Iran, while 25% believed the military campaign was worth the costs.

The poll also showed that registered voters would choose Democrats over Republicans by 41% to 37% if congressional elections were held today.

The online survey included responses from 4,531 American adults and has a margin of error of two percentage points.