Poll: Trump Approval Falls to Record-Low 33%; Democrats Lead by 8 Points in Race for the House

As of 11:32 a.m. ET, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026

President Donald Trump's approval rating has dropped to 33% among U.S. adults, the lowest of either of his terms in the Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll, while Democrats lead Republicans by 8 percentage points in the contest for control of the House, according to results released early Sunday.

Sixty-six percent of adults disapprove of Trump's job performance, and 52% disapprove strongly. The approval figure among adults is four points lower than in July and eight points lower than at this point last year. ABC News said the 33% mark is below his 38% approval after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Among registered voters, 37% approve and 63% disapprove. Among likely voters, Trump's approval is 38%, with 62% disapproving, the Post reported.

The House ballot

Likely voters back the Democratic candidate in their congressional district over the Republican 52% to 44%, and registered voters do so 50% to 42%. That is up from a 3-point Democratic edge among registered voters in a July Washington Post-Ipsos poll. Independent likely voters favor Democrats 56% to 35%.

Asked whether they would prefer a Democratic-led Congress as a check on Trump or a Republican-led Congress to support his agenda, registered voters chose Democrats 58% to 39%, according to the Post. Among all adults, the split was 59% to 35%.

Registered voters trust Democrats over Republicans on the economy 40% to 33%, the first Democratic advantage on that issue in Post-ABC polling since 2014, the Post reported.

Why it matters

Presidential approval has long been one of the most important indicators of how a midterm election will go, the Post noted, adding that the poll does not predict individual House or Senate races. ABC pointed out that its fall 2018 poll showed Democrats ahead by 11 points among registered voters before they won the House that year, while its fall 2022 poll showed a near-even split before Republicans won the chamber.

Turnout remains a key unknown. Democratic registered voters were more likely than Republicans to say they are certain to vote or have already voted, 75% to 67%, according to the Post.

Economy, gas and Iran

Seventy-one percent of adults now call gasoline unaffordable, up from 28% in February, before the war in Iran drove up fuel costs, ABC reported. Seventy-two percent of adults say the country is headed in the wrong direction. Among adults, Trump's approval on the economy is 28% (70% disapprove), and 77% disapprove of his handling of the cost of living, a question asked of half the sample. Forty-eight percent of adults say they are not as well off financially as when Trump became president in January 2025.

Sixty-five percent of adults say it was a mistake for the U.S. to use military force against Iran. Immigration is Trump's strongest issue in the poll, at 38% approval and 61% disapproval among adults.

Methodology

The poll was conducted online Oct. 9-13, 2026, through Ipsos' probability-based KnowledgePanel, among a random national sample of 2,545 U.S. adults, including 2,032 registered and likely voters. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 2 percentage points for overall results and plus or minus 2.2 points among registered and likely voters. Questions asked of half the sample have a margin of plus or minus 2.8 points. Likely-voter results were produced by assigning each registered voter a probability of voting. Results were weighted to population demographics, 2024 turnout and vote choice, and partisanship. The poll was jointly sponsored and funded by The Washington Post, ABC News and Ipsos.