Newsweek, November 2026
President Donald Trump’s approval rating has changed little during the final month before the midterm elections, but it is markedly weaker than at the beginning of the year, according to a Newsweek analysis of four national polling trackers. Rolling data from Civiqs, Silver Bulletin, The New York Times and RealClearPolling all placed his net approval more than 20 points underwater on October 1, setting a difficult national backdrop for Republicans seeking to retain control of Congress. On October 29, it ranged from 33 percent to 38.4 percent, while disapproval stood at approximately 60 percent across every measure.
Across the four measures, Trump’s net approval rating was between 11 and 11.8 points worse on October 29 than at the beginning of 2026. Midterm elections have historically proved difficult for the party controlling the White House, placing Republican congressional candidates under pressure as voters deliver their first nationwide verdict on the opening two years of Trump’s second term. “In many ways, midterms are referenda on incumbent party performance,” Costas Panagopoulos, a distinguished professor of political science at Northeastern University, told Newsweek. Civiqs recorded a slight deterioration during October. Averages from Silver Bulletin, The New York Times and RealClearPolling showed modest improvements, but none amounted to a significant late recovery.
