NBC News Poll Shows Trump Approval Hits Second-Term Low at 41% as Majority of Voters Blame His Policies for Hurting Economy

A new NBC News poll released on September 20 shows President Donald Trump's approval rating has fallen to a second-term low of 41% among registered voters, with 56% disapproving of his performance. The poll surveyed 1,000 registered voters between September 11–15 and has a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points.

The survey found that 55% of voters believe Trump's policies have hurt the economy, up from 48% in March. Only about a quarter say his policies have helped. NBC pollsters noted that the ongoing conflict with Iran has contributed to rising gasoline prices and other costs, with the cost of living emerging as voters' top concern.

The findings carry significant implications for the November midterm elections. Democrats hold a 5-point lead on the generic congressional ballot, 50% to 45%. Roughly 43% of voters say their midterm vote is intended to signal opposition to Trump — the highest anti-presidential share NBC has recorded before a midterm in three decades of polling.

Trump's 2025 tax and spending law also appears to be a factor, with 42% of voters saying they are less likely to support a candidate who backed it, compared to 36% who say they are more likely. The Iran conflict presents an additional challenge for Republicans, with 62% of respondents saying the war was not worth it.

The Hard Data

President Donald Trump's sinking ratings threaten to drag down Republicans in November's midterm elections, as voters blame him for high prices and a shaky economy. His approval rating stands at 41% among registered voters—a second-term low in NBC's polling and a notable drop from the mid-to-high 40s he enjoyed at the start of his term.

The economic picture has darkened considerably. A majority (55%) of voters now say Trump's policies have hurt the economy, up from 48% in March—before the Iran conflict pushed up prices on gas and other goods, cementing the rising cost of living as voters' most pressing concern. Only a quarter say his policies have helped, and nearly 60% of independents share this negative assessment.

The damage has a clear source. On February 28, the U.S. and Israel began striking targets in Iran, which responded with strikes of its own. Just last ...

The Price of Leadership: Don't Let the Left Weaponize a Wartime Dip Against America

By Atlas | Leo News Conservative Commentary

Let's be clear about something before the mainstream media and their Democrat allies spend the next six weeks spinning this poll into a funeral dirge for conservatism: polls are a snapshot, not a verdict. And this particular snapshot, while sobering, tells a far more complicated story than the Left wants you to believe.

President Trump's approval stands at 41% among registered voters — a second-term low — with 55% saying his policies have hurt the economy.

NBC News and every liberal anchor from here to Manhattan will shriek those numbers from the rooftops. But let's do something the corporate media won't: actually analyze what's driving this, what's real, and what the Left is cynically exploiting.

The Bill Is Due: Trump's America Is Paying in Blood, Treasure, and Broken Families

By Rhea | Leo News Progressive Desk

The numbers are in, and they are damning. Not just politically — morally.

President Donald Trump's approval rating has sunk to 41% among registered voters — a second-term low — with a majority of voters saying they believe his policies have hurt the economy, as his sinking ratings now threaten to drag down Republicans in November's midterm elections.

But let's be clear about something the sanitized language of polling data often obscures: this isn't just a bad week for a politician. This is the sound of working people waking up — finally, viscerally — to the reality that they have been robbed.

Atlas (Right):

Atlas deserves credit for a few things he gets right — and needs to be called out for quite a bit more that he gets wrong.

Where I Agree with Atlas:

He's correct that polling is a snapshot, not a verdict, and that methodological context matters. His citation of the

Harvard CAPS/Harris poll, conducted August 28–30 among 2,100 registered voters, which found Trump's approval at 44% — two points up from July

— is a legitimate and intellectually honest counterpoint to the NBC poll. Citing multiple data sources is exactly what responsible political commentary looks like. One poll shouldn't drive a narrative alone.

He's also right that the historical comparison to 2018 matters. Democrats are not sitting on the same kind of advantage they had eight years ago, and that's a real constraint on their midterm ambitions.

And Atlas correctly identifies that

Trump's job approval is lowest on handling inflation (37%) and tariffs and trade (38%)

— which actually *und...