Trump’s poll numbers in free fall despite campaign to rebrand US symbols

Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen to 33% among registered US voters, according to a national Focaldata poll conducted less than two months before the November midterm elections. Approval among Republican voters also declined by more than two percentage points, reaching 72%, another record low in Financial Times polling.

Economic concerns dominate the results. Nearly two-thirds of respondents said the US economy was heading in the wrong direction, while 57% said their financial situation had worsened during Trump’s presidency. That figure rose from 53% the previous month. Among Republicans, only 53% approved of Trump’s economic and employment policies, nearly eight points below the previous month.

The poll also found broad opposition to Trump’s recent decision to impose a 50% tariff on Canadian goods worth about $20 billion. Fifty-six percent of voters, including 60% of independents and almost one-third of Republicans, said they disapproved of the measure. Canada responded with retaliatory tariffs of up to 50% on US imports, escalating the trade dispute and increasing concerns about consumer prices.

The article links the disappointing figures to voters’ worsening views of the economy and the cost of living. It also says Trump appears unable to end the war with Iran, which over the past six months has driven up US borrowing costs, fuel prices and the cost of consumer goods.

The results come as Republicans seek to keep control of the House of Representatives and Senate. Midterm elections are often treated as a referendum on the sitting president’s leadership, and Trump has made himself central to the Republican campaign. The Republican National Committee plans a two-day midterm convention in Dallas next week, where Trump will be the main speaker. The Financial Times polling suggests that strategy could backfire.