November 21, 2025 10:12 AM UTC

Donald Trump Searches for Floor as Approval Ratings Plummet

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• by: Colorado Pols

Americans are not happy with President Trump.

Trump’s approval ratings in a string of recent polls have fallen precipitously as Americans fret about rising prices; increasing health care costs; the fallout from the federal government shutdown; and headlines about Trump’s connection to deceased gross guy Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump’s numbers are so bad, in fact, that he is no longer pretending otherwise.

As USA Today reports, Trump acknowledged his falling approval ratings this week with a typical Trumpian caveat:

“I always take a little heat from my people, the people that love me and the people that I love,” Trump said, while appearing to defend allowing high-skilled workers from other countries to work at new U.S. manufacturing plants. “So, my poll numbers just went down, but with smart people, they’ve gone way up.”

It was a departure from some of his previous comments, where he claimed to have great poll numbers as he flirted with a third term. (The U.S. Constitution limits him to two terms.)

How bad have things gotten for Trump among the “non-smart” people? Here’s the rundown of four recent poll results:

Yikes! According to The New York Times, Trump’s current approval/disapproval marks average out to roughly -15 points (Americans disapprove by 15 points more than they approve of Trump).

For context, the only President in recent history with a worse net approval rating in November of their first year in office was…Donald Trump in 2017.

In a rational universe, these numbers should be making it difficult for the President to accomplish much even with a Congress controlled by his fellow Republicans. Perhaps the quick passage of legislation — in both chambers — calling for the release of the “Epstein Files” is an early indicator that Trump is losing his grip among Republicans. After an absolute drubbing by Democrats in the 2025 election, it would make sense for incumbent Republicans to be concerned about a Trump drag in 2026, and it does appear that Trump pushback is rising.

Of course, this is a lesson that Republicans — and all Americans, frankly — should have already learned after the first Trump term in the White House. Maybe this time the lesson will actually stick.