Post-Midterm Poll Finds That Two-Thirds of Americans Disapprove of Trump

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted right after the midterm elections demonstrates deep voter animosity toward President Donald Trump, with fewer than one third of respondents indicating approval of his job performance.

The poll was conducted from November 6-9, just a few days after the elections took place.

According to the survey, 65 percent of Americans disapprove of how Trump is handling his presidential duties, while only 32 percent approve. Notably, 50 percent of respondents said they “strongly disapprove” of Trump’s job performance, while only 11 percent said they “strongly approve.”

The 32 percent approval rating is near Trump’s record low, just one point higher than the 31 percent approval rating he received in a Reuters/Ipsos poll in mid-October.

The poll also asked respondents which issues Democrats should prioritize when they take over Congress.

Sixty-two percent of respondents said Democrats should focus on ending the war in Iran, while only 13 percent said they didn’t want “too much” focus or any focus at all on the matter. On lowering health care costs, 67 percent said the incoming Congress should focus on the issue. And on regulating artificial intelligence (AI), 52 percent said there should be a focus on the matter, while only 19 percent said there should not.

With regard to investigating the Trump administration, voters appeared somewhat split, with 39 percent saying there should be some or a lot of focus on the issue and 40 percent saying there shouldn’t be. However, another 18 percent said they backed Democrats placing “some” focus on White House investigations, suggesting that more voters than not are open to the idea.

Notably, the Trump administration has indicated that it could open Justice Department investigations of its own against Democratic lawmakers, if they do indeed pursue inquiries into the White House’s actions, despite the fact that such congressional oversight is allowed under the Constitution. Responding to those threats on Wednesday, Rep. Robert Garcia (D-California) nevertheless renewed his vow to pursue such investigations, suggesting that the administration’s threats indicated they had “something to hide.”

The dismal post-election approval ratings for Trump in the Reuters/Ipsos poll have been confirmed in other surveys, too. An Economist/YouGov poll published earlier this week, for example, found that only 32 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s job performance, while 63 percent disapprove.

That poll also asked respondents whether they felt this moment was a “turning point” in U.S. political history. Sixty-four percent said it is, while only 16 percent disagreed.