Trump Approval Drops to Second-Term Low, Led by Independent Voters
Multiple polls show President Trump's approval rating has fallen to its lowest point of his second term, with independent voters driving the decline.
First reported
By Gallup on July 23, 2025 at 8:00 PM EDT
Last update
May 16, 2026 at 4:13 AM EDT
8 sources write about this
In brief
Facts about this story
- 1
Gallup placed Trump's second-term approval rating at 37 percent as of mid-May 2026, the lowest recorded in his current term.
- 2
A CNN/SSRS poll found Trump's approval among independent voters at 26 percent, a new low in that poll's second-term tracking.
- 3
Gallup identified independent voters as the primary driver of the overall approval decline.
- 4
Pew Research Center, publishing May 1, 2026, reported Trump losing ground on several personal trait assessments alongside the approval slip.
- 5
Political analyst Harry Enten noted on social media that the decline extends to GOP-leaning independents, not only self-described independents.
- 6
The New York Times poll aggregate shows a consistent downward trend across multiple survey organizations.
Framing Analytics
How the story is being framed
Signals that separate source coverage from tone, framing, factual density, and emotional pull.
Reality Gap
i
15/100
Broad agreement in the source set
Hype Meter
i
25/100
Mostly restrained tone
Fact Density
i
82% facts
18% opinion, speculation, or commentary
82%
Hard facts
18%
Opinion / framing
Emotion Radar
i
Fear 2/10
Detected emotional pull in coverage
2/10
Fear
1/10
Anger
0/10
Hope
0/10
Joy / Pride
Coverage Spectrum
Center coverage leads this sample
This is not a truth score. It shows which parts of the media landscape are covering the story.
33%
Left
56%
Center
11%
Right
How outlets are covering it
7 days ago
Donald Trump's Approval Rating Nosedives With Independents
“Newsweek frames the movement as a sharp, notable decline concentrated among independent voters.”
Read original source5 days ago
Donald Trump’s Approval Rating Falls Among Independents in New Poll
“Yahoo News leads with the poll-specific finding on independents without broader characterization.”
Read original source3 days ago
Trump's Approval Rating Hits New Second-Term Low
“Forbes centers the story on the record-low milestone within the second term using Gallup data.”
Read original source2 days ago
President Trump’s approval rating: Latest polls
“The Times presents an interactive aggregate of multiple polls rather than a single survey's finding.”
Read original source16 days ago
Trump Loses Ground on Several Personal Traits as Approval Rating Slips
“Pew Research broadens the analysis to include shifts in how respondents evaluate Trump's personal characteristics.”
Read original source
6 days ago
Donald Trump’s approval rating
“The Economist offers a continuous interactive tracker without a specific narrative framing.”
Read original source
297 days ago
Independents Drive Trump's Approval to 37% Second-Term Low
“Gallup presents its own survey result and attributes the movement specifically to independent respondents.”
Read original source
Recent
Trump's approval collapsing with GOP-leaning independents per recent polls
“Analyst Harry Enten highlights that the erosion reaches into Republican-leaning independents, a more specific subgroup.”
Read original sourceBackground
Sources covering this story
8 sources write about this
8 articles tracked
Trump Loses Ground on Several Personal Traits as Approval Rating Slips
Apr 30, 8:00 PM
Trump's approval collapsing with GOP-leaning independents per recent polls
Recent
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