TRUMP APPROVAL RATING FALLS TO CAREER LOW OF 32%

US President Donald Trump's approval rating has fallen to 32 per cent, the lowest of his political career, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. The poll found that Republicans have grown more critical of his handling of the cost of living amid the ongoing war with Iran. Support for Trump among his own Republican Party fell to 73 per cent from 82 per cent a week earlier, when his overall approval stood at 35 per cent. The four-day poll closed on Sunday and gathered 1,277 responses from adults across the United States, with a margin of error of three percentage points. Just 17 per cent of respondents said they approved of Trump's handling of the cost of living, which the poll identified as the top issue for voters.

The poll was conducted during a period in which Trump removed three major news organisations from the White House and suggested the Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts, named after President John F. Kennedy, could be demolished if his own name could not be added to it. Trump returned to office in January 2025 pledging to curb inflation and end foreign conflicts, having recorded a 47 per cent approval rating in a Reuters/Ipsos poll taken in the hours after his inauguration. Dissatisfaction among Republicans has grown since Trump launched the war on Iran in February, which the poll's findings link to sharp rises in petrol and diesel prices. For the first time, more Republicans disapprove of his handling of the cost of living than approve, by 51 per cent to 44 per cent, according to the poll.

The findings come ahead of the 3 November midterm elections, in which Trump's Republicans are defending narrow majorities in Congress. Trump said on Wednesday that the United States is "hopefully toward the end" of its war with Iran, though fighting continues in Yemen and Tehran has not confirmed that direct negotiations with Washington have resumed.