Marquette Poll: Trump’s Approval Falls to Second-Term Low — Just 37%

U.S. President Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen to just 37 percent — the lowest of his second term, according to a national poll published Tuesday, deepening Republican anxiety weeks before the midterm elections.

The Marquette University Law School poll shows just 37% of Americans approve of Trump’s job as president — three points down from July and the lowest ever recorded by Marquette since his return to the White House in early 2025. The previous low was 38%, recorded in June. The poll was conducted September 2–9 among 1,023 American adults with a margin of error of 3.3 points.

Even his most ardent supporters are fading: the share of Americans who say they “strongly approve” of Trump has nearly halved, from 29% at the start of the second term to just 15% now.

The decline is not limited to his overall rating. Compared with July, Trump’s approval has fallen on eight issues: border security, immigration, foreign policy, tariffs, the economy, the war with Iran, fuel prices and inflation. Even border security — traditionally his strongest area — has dropped below 50%. Just 19% of Americans approve of how he is handling inflation and the cost of living, and only 20% approve on fuel prices.

Economic concerns are also visible at the pump: the national average gasoline price reached $4.36 per gallon on Wednesday — 14 cents more than a week earlier and more than a dollar more than in September 2025, according to AAA data.

For Republicans, the worst news comes from the generic congressional ballot: Democrats lead by 13 points among likely voters — up from a 6-point lead in July — and by 12 points among registered voters, up from just 2 points in July. Republican support has fallen four points since July.

Another poll, Reuters/Ipsos published Monday, showed a slight improvement for Trump (35%, two points up), but even there Republicans trail Democrats by 7 points on the generic ballot — the widest gap of the second term. Poll averages from September 16 confirm the trend: RealClearPolitics puts Trump’s approval at 40% against 57.8% disapproval; the New York Times at 39 vs. 58; and Silver Bulletin at 38.4 vs. 58.5.

The midterms take place in early November, and these numbers are turning into an alarm signal for Republicans, who risk losing control of Congress.

Source: USA Today