PresidentDonald Trumpis nearing the end of 2025 with anapproval ratingunderwater, but slightly better than his lows in November.
With the turn of the new year,voter moodswill be top of mind as the 2026 midterms approach and Republicans hope to hold onto control of Congress. Recent elections and polls have been pointing to a weak spot for Trump: theeconomy and cost of living. But in aprimetime address on Dec. 17, Trump blamed problems with affordability on the Democrats.
Another problem that has plagued Trump in his second term is rearing its head in the final weeks of December. The Department of Justice is in the process of releasing criminal case files onJeffrey Epsteinafter the Dec. 19 deadline put in place by theEpstein Files Transparency Act. A batch released Dec. 23 mentionedTrump numerous times. Here is what to know about his approval rating:
Live updates on Epstein files:Trump named in latest documents
See President Trump speak from the White House in primetime
What is Trump's average approval rating?
Averages based onRealClearPoliticsandNew York Timesaggregators show Trump's approval rating is net negative, but appears to have rebounded slightly and begun stabilizing after a sharp drop last month.
As of Jan. 27, 50.5% approved, giving Trump a net positive rating until March 13, when it flipped to net negative with 47.8% approval, compared to 48.5% disapproval,RealClearPolitics graphics show. The approval rating reached a low on April 29 at 45.1% approval, which fell around Trump's 100-day mark. It reached a new low of 42.3% on Nov. 14, as the controversy on Jeffrey Epstein's emails heated up following the end of the government shutdown. The following week, his disapproval also ticked up to a term high of 55.6% on Nov. 21. As of Dec. 23, RealClearPolitics found 43% approve and 53.6% disapprove.
The New York Times aggregator showed Trump's approval fell from 52% approval in January to 44% approval in April, and then mostly held steady for months. According to the Times, Trump's term low is 41% approval, which he first reached on Nov. 12. His disapproval also notched up to 56% on Nov. 19, a high for this term per the aggregator. As of Dec. 23, 42% approve and 54% disapprove, per the Times.
Morning Consult: Voters want Trump to focus on the economy
In aMorning Consult pollconducted Dec. 19-21, Trump had a 45% approval rating. The poll surveyed 2,203 registered U.S. voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points. The approval is down one point from the previous week, while the 52% disapproval held steady. Both are worse than the pollster's average since January.
The survey also found that voters were most likely to want Trump to focus on lowering prices, but not as many see Trump as prioritizing those policies.
Gallup: Voters have negative view of other US leadership
A newtwo-week poll from Gallupreleased on Dec. 22 showsTrump's approval rating for the last month of the year is weak, standing at 36%, though it's buoyed by a strong 89% level of support among Republicans. Among independents, his support in the latest Gallup poll is 25%. Democrats' opinions of the president tanked to 3% in the survey. Trump's December approval rating is unchanged from last month's Gallup numbers, when itfell to the lowest of his second term, just barely above his personal low of 34% in January 2021.
The poll also shows that a majority of Americans are unhappy about congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle, dissatisfied with the way things are going in the country and do not approve of the country's top leaders in the White House,Supreme Courtand the Federal Reserve.
Thepoll surveyed 1,016 U.S. adultsliving in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, between Dec. 1 and Dec. 15. The margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points.
How does PresidentDonald Trump's approval rating compare to past presidents?
A historical analysis byGallup shows Trump's approval ratingsin December of his first years in office − both as the 45th and 47th presidents − are lower than any other modern president at the same time in their administrations. Here is how his December approval compares to other presidents in December of their first year of their terms, according to Gallup:
Joe Biden (December 2021) - 43% approve
Trump (December 2017) - 36% approve
Barack Obama (December 2009) - 50% approve
George W. Bush (December 2001) - 86% approve
Bill Clinton (December 1993) - 53% approve
George H.W. Bush (December 1989) - 71% approve
Ronald Reagan (December 1981) - 49% approve
Contributing: Kathryn Palmer, USA TODAY
Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at KCrowley@usatodayco.com. Follow her onX (Twitter),BlueskyandTikTok.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Trump's approval rating? Epstein saga rears head as 2025 ends
