Trump’s Approval Hits Record Low as Voters Signal Midterm Discontent — And the White House Launches “Trump TV”

Politics & Policy | Listen Free 🎧 | Contact 📧

President Donald Trump is facing a political reality that has become the defining narrative of the 2026 midterms: his approval rating has sunk to the lowest point of his political career, and voters are signaling that the election will be a referendum on his leadership.

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted September 17-20 found that just 32% of Americans approve of Trump’s job performance — down from 35% a week earlier and the lowest mark across both his first and second terms . Among Republicans, approval dropped sharply from 82% to 73% in a single week.

The NPR/PBS News/Marist poll released this week painted an even starker picture: 53% of voters strongly disapprove of Trump’s performance, the highest share recorded since the question was first asked in 2017.

The driving force behind the collapse is the cost of living. Only 17% of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the issue, while a majority of Republicans — 51% — now disapprove of his approach to inflation and prices, the first time that has happened . The Reuters analysis attributed the dissatisfaction to rising gasoline and diesel prices since the U.S. launched the war with Iran in February .

The Midterm Landscape: A 12-Point Democratic Advantage

With absentee and mail voting already underway, the political environment is tilting heavily toward Democrats.

Key findings from the NPR/PBS News/Marist poll:

Registered voters prefer a Democratic Congress by 53% to 41% — a 12-point margin and a 13-point swing from Trump’s 2024 popular vote margin .
45% of voters say their choice is a vote against Trump, including four in five Democrats and about half of independents .
Democrats lead on key issues: The economy (42%-38%), gas prices (40%-27%), and foreign policy (42%-36%) .
Immigration advantage lost: Republicans led by 12 points on immigration in February 2024. Now Democrats lead by 3 points .

The enthusiasm gap is also working against Republicans. Three-quarters of MAGA supporters say they care a great deal about the outcome, but the rest of the Republican coalition is lagging behind. Trump 2024 voters are less likely to follow the election closely and less likely to have been contacted about voting .

These dynamics are why Democrats are competitive in Senate races in states Trump won big in 2024 — Ohio (11 points), Alaska (13), Iowa (13), and Texas (14) .

The White House Response: “Trump TV” and the Press Ban

As the polls worsen, the White House has escalated its conflict with the press — and launched a new platform to bypass it.

On Monday, the administration debuted “Trump TV,” a 24/7 streaming service on YouTube and the White House phone app. The White House described it as “top past moments, announcements, and the latest and greatest from the administration all in one place” . The launch opened with a pre-Fourth of July speech from Mount Rushmore and, by Tuesday morning, was showing a March speech from a Kentucky packaging facility .

White House spokesman Kaelan Dorr said: “The press, in some cases, reported inaccurately or not at all on the Administration’s many record breaking accomplishments. Trump TV is a 24/7 livestream of the Administration’s greatest hits, unfiltered” .

The launch came after five major television networks — ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox News, and CNN — suspended their participation in the White House press pool, refusing to provide joint coverage of Trump’s events . The pool system allows one network to record presidential events and share footage with outlets worldwide.

The networks acted in solidarity with CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, which were banned from the White House last week. Trump accused the outlets of “reporting FAKE NEWS” and said they “shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES” .

The three news organizations filed a First Amendment lawsuit on Monday, arguing the ban is “textbook viewpoint discrimination” and “flatly unconstitutional” . Bruce D. Brown, president of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said: “The First Amendment is clear that once the White House invites in some journalists, it can’t ban others because it doesn’t like their reporting” .

The consequences were immediate. When Trump held a ribbon-cutting for a new White House helipad on Monday, he could not be heard on the administration’s own livestream due to the absence of pool microphones. No television crews traveled with Trump to the United Nations on Tuesday .

Who Benefits and Who Is Harmed

Those who benefit from the current trajectory:

Democrats, who are capitalizing on voter anger over the cost of living and the war’s unpopularity, with a 12-point lead and competitive races in traditionally red states.
The White House, which gains tighter control over the narrative through Trump TV, bypassing independent press coverage.
Trump’s core base, which remains loyal and sees the media bans as a defense against biased coverage.

Those who are harmed:

Working families of all backgrounds — Black, white, Latino, and Asian — who are paying more at the pump and the grocery store, with only 17% approving of Trump’s handling of the issue.
Republicans in competitive districts, who must defend a president with a 32% approval rating and an unpopular war.
The American public, which loses access to independent, first-hand information about the president through the pool system that has been suspended.
Smaller news organizations, which depend on pool footage to cover the president and lack the resources to send their own crews.

The Bottom Line

Trump’s approval rating is at the lowest point of his career. Democrats hold a 12-point lead on the generic ballot. Voters say the election is about the president — and they disapprove. In response, the White House is bypassing the press entirely with its own streaming service.

The question now is whether the polls will hold through November 3 — or whether Republicans can close the gap. September polling is a snapshot, not a forecast . But with less than 50 days until the election, the trajectory is clear.

The effort to build better communities and a better America starts with you. Contact your state representatives and political party’s state, city or county office today and sign up, to give or do what you can to make America better for all.