Trump’s approval rating falls to record low, poll shows

Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen to a record low, with only 33 percent of respondents backing the current political course of the U.S. president, according to a poll reported by the Financial Times.

Support among Republicans also dropped to 72 percent, described in the report as a record low for the president. Nearly two-thirds of respondents said the U.S. economy was moving in the wrong direction, while 57 percent said their financial situation had worsened under Trump.

The president’s economic policy was supported by 53 percent of Republican voters, almost eight percentage points less than a month earlier. His trade policy also drew opposition: 56 percent of those surveyed rejected the 50 percent tariffs on Canadian goods, including 60 percent of independent voters and nearly one-third of Republicans.

The decline comes less than two months before the November 3 congressional midterm elections. About 46 percent of participants said Trump’s involvement in the campaign was making things harder for Republican candidates.

Voters will elect all 435 members of the House of Representatives and roughly one-third of the Senate. Republicans currently control both chambers, and the results will determine the balance of power during the final two years of Trump’s term.