President Donald Trump is now underwater on every major issue tested, according to new polling, as economic anxiety and foreign policy tensions build ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment via email.
White House spokesman Davis Ingle told Newsweek in a previous emailed statement: "The ultimate poll was November 5, 2024, when nearly 80 million Americans overwhelmingly elected President Trump to deliver on his popular and common-sense agenda."
Why It Matters
Seven months from the midterms, sustained weakness across core issues threatens Republican prospects.
Voters are juggling higher prices, economic unease and a widening war with Iran, and history suggests that kind of environment rarely favors the party in power.
What To Know
Fresh polling shows Trump’s approval rating sitting underwater across every issue tested, with economic concerns driving some of the sharpest declines.
Data released Tuesday by polling analyst G. Elliott Morris from Verasight shows net approval-negative ratings on border security, immigration, the economy, foreign policy and inflation, among other issues. None of the categories tested produced a net positive result.
Verasight collected responses from March 16 to March 18, surveying 1,530 U.S. adults aged 18 and older. Results were weighted to reflect national benchmarks, including age, race and ethnicity, education, income, region, partisanship, and past vote. The margin of sampling error was plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
Trump’s Approval Rating, Issue by Issue
On border security, Trump slipped from net neutral in February to minus 2 in March.
Immigration improved slightly but remained deeply negative, moving from minus 15 to minus 13. Deportations registered a similar pattern at minus 14.
Crime and public safety showed a modest improvement, moving from minus 12 to minus 10, but remained underwater for the president.
Several core policy areas showed deterioration rather than recovery.
Foreign policy dropped from minus 20 to minus 23, while jobs and the economy fell to minus 23 as well.
Trade with other countries slid further to minus 24. Prices and inflation, already Trump’s weakest issue, worsened from minus 35 last month to minus 39 in March.
Education and health care continued to rank among the president’s poorest-performing categories at minus 20 and minus 28, respectively, while elections and democracy debuted in the survey at minus 21.
Government funding and social programs came in at minus 25.
Trump Underwater on Economy Across Core Demographics
Economic anxiety appears to sit at the center of voter dissatisfaction. A poll from The Argument found Trump underwater on economic stewardship across every major demographic group, including key blocs that powered his 2024 victory. The survey questioned 1,519 registered voters nationwide between March 12 and March 17, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.7 percentage points.
Among all registered voters, just over 39 percent approved of Trump’s handling of the economy, while 58 percent disapproved. Even among white voters without a college degree—one of Trump’s strongest constituencies—approval stood at 47.9 percent, with 49.4 percent disapproving.
Younger voters showed particularly sharp opposition. Nearly 68 percent of voters aged 18 to 29 disapproved of Trump’s economic performance. Supermajorities of Black voters and strong majorities of Hispanic voters also registered disapproval.
That same polling also suggests voters see a widening gap between wages and everyday costs. Only 31 percent said their income is keeping up with the cost of living, while 65 percent said it is not.
Responding to The Argument’s poll, Adam Carlson, founding partner of Zenith Polls, wrote on X: “Incredibly bleak numbers for Trump [and Republicans] 7.5 months before the midterms.”
What People Are Saying
White House spokesman Davis Ingle told Newsweek in a previous emailed statement: "The ultimate poll was November 5, 2024, when nearly 80 million Americans overwhelmingly elected President Trump to deliver on his popular and common-sense agenda.
"The president has already made historic progress not only in America, but around the world. It is not surprising that President Trump remains the most dominant figure in American politics."
A White House official previously told Newsweek: "Polling shows President Trump’s decision to launch Operation Epic Fury has Americans’ support—with MAGA and Republicans strongly supporting it.
"Despite some online commentators with large followings publicly disagreeing with the president’s decision—and many legacy media outlets eagerly highlighting their comments to try and sow division—the MAGA base is not wavering one bit."
President Donald Trump: "When this is over, oil prices are going to go down very, very rapidly. So is inflation. So is everything else.
"But frankly, much more important than short-term or even long-term oil prices: You cannot let the most violent, vicious country in the last 50 years have a nuclear weapon."
Brett Loyd, a polling and research specialist for the Independent Center, told Newsweek: "It’s tough to win a national midterm when independents view your primary brand as a deal-breaker. That’s not to say Democrats are doing anything incredible to court the center; it’s just that Republicans are doing a remarkably efficient job of shedding them."
What Happens Next
Attention now turns to whether economic conditions ease, gas prices stabilize or foreign policy developments shift public sentiment.
With the midterms approaching, both parties are watching closely to see if these numbers harden—or begin to move.
In a polarized era, the center is dismissed as bland. At Newsweek, ours is different: The Courageous Center—it's not "both sides," it's sharp, challenging and alive with ideas. We follow facts, not factions. If that sounds like the kind of journalism you want to see thrive, we need you.
When you become a Newsweek Member, you support a mission to keep the center strong and vibrant. Members enjoy: Ad-free browsing, exclusive content and editor conversations. Help keep the center courageous. Join today.
Conversation
Start a discussion, not a fire. Post with kindness. Read our guidelines here
All Comments
Active Conversations
The following is a list of the most commented articles in the last 7 days.
A trending article titled "Iran war live updates: US, Iran could hold high-level talks this week" with 72 comments.
Iran war live updates: US, Iran could hold high-level talks this week
72
A trending article titled "Unmasked ICE agents hounded at airports: "Nazis don't belong"" with 58 comments.
Unmasked ICE agents hounded at airports: "Nazis don't belong"
58