Quinnipiac poll: Trump’s disapproval ties his January 6 peak as independents lean toward Democrats

President Donald Trump’s disapproval has reached the highest level of his career — 61%, a figure equal to that recorded after the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll, as USA Today reports.

In the poll of 1,032 registered voters, conducted from September 24 to 27, 61% of respondents said they disapprove of the way Trump is handling his job as president, against 34% who approve. The margin of error is plus/minus 3.8 percentage points. According to the Quinnipiac poll, 61% is the highest disapproval ever recorded for Trump, last reached in the poll of January 18, 2021.

Trump’s approval on the economy has fallen to the lowest level of his career: only 31% approve of his handling of the economy, down from 32% in the September 10 poll, while disapproval held steady at 65%.

With the midterm elections only a few weeks away, a growing share of voters want Democrats to take control of the House of Representatives. In the September 29 poll, 51% said they want the Democratic Party to win control of the House, against 39% who want the Republicans — an increase compared with the September 10 poll. Among independents, a majority of 54% lean toward the Democrats, against 30% who support the Republicans.

Even though voters say Democrats would do a better job on all seven issues surveyed by Quinnipiac — including healthcare, the cost of living, immigration, government corruption and artificial intelligence — both parties remain unpopular: only 22% approve of the job Democrats are doing in Congress and 26% of the Republicans’. “A red warning light flashing for Republicans trying to hold on to power. From the economy to international conflicts to AI, independent voters are leaning toward the Democrats, even though the overwhelming majority of them do not approve of the job Democrats are currently doing in Congress,” said Quinnipiac poll analyst Tim Malloy.

The Quinnipiac poll was slightly worse than Trump’s approval average. According to data compiled through September 30: RealClearPolitics 38.8% approval / 59.6% disapproval; New York Times 37% approval / 60% disapproval; Silver Bulletin 37.5% approval / 60.1% disapproval.