Only 15% of Americans Strongly Approve of Donald Trump, a Record Low

Donald Trump famously bragged in 2016 that he could “stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody” without losing the support of his base. What he couldn’t do, apparently, was point that gun at voters’ wallets—and launch a costly new war with Iran.

According to a new Washington Post-Ipsos poll released yesterday, only 15% of Americans strongly approve of Trump’s job as president, down 2% from what was already a record low in April. For context, the first poll conducted after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol still had 27% of the country strongly approving of Trump, down from a high of 35% the year before. His once “unshakable” base has now dwindled to about 1 in 6 Americans. Nearly half, or 47%, strongly disapprove.

Today, Trump’s overall approval rate in the poll is 37% (holding steady from April), versus 61% who disapprove of his handling of the presidency. His approval dropped even further when pollsters asked about his handling of the economy (33% approve, 65% disapprove) and the situation with Iran (29% approve, 69% disapprove). He’s -19% on his strongest issue—immigration—with 40% approving and 59% disapproving, down 10 points from his high just after the inauguration.

Washington Post/Ipsos: Trump Approval crosstabs

Approve: 37%
Disapprove: 61%

Reg. voters: 40-59
——
Net approval by group (highest to lowest)

🟢 GOP: +63
🟢 White Evangelical Protestant: +40
🟢 White Catholic: +14
🟢 Rural: +2
——
🟤 White: -9
🟤 White mainline Protestant: -10… https://t.co/zYAtr0pAFh pic.twitter.com/CQFlpVc1Qb

— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) July 16, 2026

Only 26% of independents approve of Trump, with only 6% strongly approving and 71% disapproving. Nearly 1 in 5 Republicans also now disapprove of his job performance, with nearly half of Republican-leaning independents.

The picture gets worse. Trump remains underwater with every age group, every ethnicity (including -9% with white voters), men (-19%) and women (-28%). His hold on rural voters is down to a 2% margin, and the only other groups still supporting Trump are white evangelicals (+40%) and white Catholics (+14%). With Hispanic Catholics, He’s -39%.

Still, 15% of Americans are hanging strong with Trump. But then again, that’s less than the 19% who aren’t convinced the earth is round. Some people just don’t want to acknowledge reality.

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