NBC News poll: Trump approval falls to 34% among adults, and 71% say the country is on the wrong track

As of 1:50 p.m. ET, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026

President Donald Trump's approval rating fell to 34% among U.S. adults, a second-term low in the NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey, with 66% disapproving, NBC News reported Sunday.

A majority of adults, 51%, said they "strongly disapprove" of his performance, also a second-term high in the poll. Among registered voters, his rating was 39% approve and 61% disapprove.

Registered voters said they prefer Democrats over Republicans to control Congress by 55% to 45%.

The national mood

Seventy-one percent of adults said the country is on the "wrong track," the highest share of Trump's second term in the poll.

By issue, 27% approved of Trump's handling of the cost of living, 29% his handling of the war with Iran and 33% his handling of artificial intelligence. His best issue was border security and immigration, at 43% approval.

Among adults, 44% said their financial situation is worse than a year ago, 38% said it is about the same and 18% said it is better. Sixty-seven percent called gas prices a "very serious" or "somewhat serious" problem.

Trump's approval among Republican adults was 76%, down from earlier readings, according to NBC. It was 21% among independents.

Just 14% of adults said they "definitely" or "probably" expect to receive the $5,000 payment Trump has promised if Republicans keep control of Congress; 71% said they do not expect one.

Neither party is popular: 43% of adults viewed the Democratic Party favorably and 37% viewed the Republican Party favorably.

How the poll was done

The poll surveyed 19,135 adults online from Sept. 28 to Oct. 12 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points, NBC said.

Why it matters

The poll was released 16 days before the Nov. 3 elections that will decide control of the House and Senate, and it shows Republicans facing a public unhappy with the economy and the direction of the country.