Aug 19, 2025

President Donald Trump’s approval rating held steady at a 40% low point for his second term in Reuters/Ipsos polling this week as the majority of respondents said he’s too friendly with Russia, though the rating is on par with his 42% average rating in his first term, according to Gallup.

Timeline

Aug. 18-14 net approval rating: Trump’s 40% approval rating in the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll taken Aug. 13-18 is equal to his approval rating in the previous Reuters/Ipsos poll taken in late July, representing a low point for his second term, though his disapproval rating has increased two points from July, to 54% (the August poll has a two-point margin of error).

The Reuters/Ipsos poll—taken after Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday but before his sitdown with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday—found 54%, including one in five Republicans, say Trump is too closely aligned with Russia as Trump left the meeting supporting Putin’s call for an end to the war, instead of a cease-fire, and backed off his promise to impose consequences on Russia if it did not agree to a cease-fire.

Aug. 18-4: Morning Consult’s weekly survey found Trump’s approval rating has improved two points since last week, to 47%, while 51% disapprove of his job performance (the Aug. 15-18 survey of 2,201 registered voters has a two-point margin of error).

In a contrast with this week’s Reuters/Ipsos poll, voters’ perception of Trump’s foreign policy has improved from -18 net approval last week to -13 net approval in this week’s Morning Consult poll.

Aug. 12-12: Trump’s net approval rating improved slightly in the latest Economist/YouGov survey conducted Aug. 9-11, compared to its Aug. 1-4 poll, with the latest findings showing 42% approve of his job performance and 54% disapprove, a two-point uptick (the latest poll of 1,635 U.S. adults has a margin of error of 3.5).

Aug. 11-6: Trump’s approval rating was stagnant for the second week in a row at a 45% record low for his second term in Morning Consult’s latest weekly survey, with 51% disapproving of his job performance, a one-point decrease in his disapproval rating from the week prior (the poll of 2,200 registered voters was conducted Aug. 8-10 and has a margin of error of 2).

Aug. 8-14: The president’s net approval rating increased 0.4 points from last week, with 41% approving and 55% disapproving in an Economist/YouGov survey of 1,702 U.S. adults conducted Aug. 1-4 (margin of error 3) that shows the public continues to have a negative perception of the controversy surrounding the federal government’s handling of its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.

The Economist/YouGov survey found 68% of respondents said they believe the government is covering up evidence it has about Epstein, while 60% disapprove of the Trump administration’s handling of the controversy—which stems from the Justice Department’s decision announced last month that it would not release additional details of its probe into Epstein.

Surprising Fact

The share of registered voters who say they identify with Trump’s Make America Great Again movement has increased sharply during Trump’s second term, according to NBC polling. A total of 36% of 1,000 registered voters polled March 7-11 said they consider themselves part of the MAGA coalition, compared to a 23% average in NBC’s March polling and 27% in the network’s 2024 polls (the most recent poll has a 3.1-point margin of error).

Big Number

42%. That’s Trump’s average approval rating so far during his second term, higher than his 41% average approval rating throughout the duration of his first term, according to Gallup.

What Was Biden’s Approval Rating At This Point In His Term?

49%, according to Gallup’s Aug. 2-17, 2021 average.

Key Background

Trump met with Putin on Aug. 15 for the first time in six years as he seeks to negotiate an end to the Russia-Ukraine war. Among other major moments in Trump’s second term: his base broke with him over the Justice Department’s announcement in July that it would not release documents detailing its investigation into Epstein. He launched a military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities, leading to a cease-fire agreement during Iran and Israel. Congress also approved his signature policy legislation that will enact some of his most significant campaign promises, including an extension of his 2017 tax cuts and tighter border control. Trump’s approval rating has declined since the start of his term, with a notable plunge coinciding with his wide-ranging “Liberation Day” tariffs he announced on April 2 against nearly all U.S. trading partners, though he has largely backed off most of the levies. Prior to the Epstein controversy, the leak of U.S. military attack plans to Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was widely considered the first big crisis of Trump’s second term. His efforts to slash the federal workforce with the help of the Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency and his mass deportation push are two other controversial hallmarks of his second term that have prompted numerous legal actions.