RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. President Donald Trump ’s approval rating among white voters has fallen to a record low, according to a new CNN poll , suggesting growing dissatisfaction within a demographic that has long formed the backbone of his electoral coalition.
A new CNN poll found Trump's net approval rating—calculated by subtracting disapproval from approval—among white voters at minus 20, the lowest level recorded during his presidency.
White voters have been central to Trump's political success for more than a decade, making any significant erosion in support a closely watched development ahead of the 2026 midterms .
Republican candidates and strategists will be looking closely at whether the decline reflects temporary frustration or a deeper shift among voters who have historically leaned toward Trump.
"No other President in history has accomplished more for the American people than President Trump, who is working tirelessly to create jobs, cool inflation, increase housing affordability, and more," Davis Ingle, a White House spokesman, said in a statement.
"The President has already made historic progress not only in America but around the world, and this is just the beginning as his agenda continues taking effect."
Trump has traditionally performed much better among white voters than he has with the electorate overall.
The latest poll suggests dissatisfaction with his presidency is spreading beyond demographic groups where he has previously struggled.
A new CNN/SSRS poll found Trump's overall approval rating at 34 percent, matching the lowest point of his political career, first reached in January 2021 in the aftermath of the Capitol riot and the final days of his first presidency.
Yet Trump's position with voters is actually even worse now than it was during that highly turbulent period, according to this polling series.
While his approval rating is identical, his net approval rating stands at minus 32 points today, compared with minus 28 points in CNN polling conducted shortly after the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The difference is driven by higher disapproval.
In the latest July 2026 survey, 66 percent of Americans disapprove of Trump's performance, compared with 62 percent in January 2021, meaning more voters now hold a negative view of the president than they did in the immediate fallout from the 2021 riot.
Today’s figures reflect broad dissatisfaction with his handling of the economy, the conflict involving Iran and other major issues.
The latest survey also found Trump's standing among white voters has deteriorated sharply over the past year.
His net approval rating with white Americans stood at 0 in July 2025, slipped to minus 7 by October, improved slightly to minus 5 in January 2026 before falling to minus 10 in February and minus 12 in March.
After briefly returning to even in April, it plunged to minus 20 in July 2026—the lowest level recorded in the polling series.
Over the same period, Trump's overall net approval rating fell from minus 16 to minus 32.
The newest CNN poll was conducted by SSRS from July 23 to July 27 among a random national sample of 1,225 U.S. adults drawn from a probability-based panel.
Interviews were conducted online or by telephone with a live interviewer. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.
CNN’s latest poll found a record-high 73 percent of Americans believe Trump has not paid enough attention to the country's most important problems, while just 27 percent said he has focused on the right priorities.
Public frustration extended beyond policy disagreements.
Around three-quarters of respondents said Trump is not in touch with the problems ordinary Americans face in their daily lives, while roughly two-thirds said he does not put the country's interests ahead of his personal gain.
Only 27 percent described Trump as someone who understands the challenges facing ordinary Americans.
Trump's weakest issue ratings came on inflation, gas prices and the conflict involving Iran.
Just 25 percent approved of his handling of inflation, while only 21 percent approved of his management of gas prices. Approval of his handling of the situation in Iran stood at 28 percent.
The poll found roughly two-thirds of Americans believe Trump's policies have worsened economic conditions and that his military decisions relating to Iran have hurt the United States.
Confidence in the administration's strategy appears to be weakening as well. Only about one-quarter of Americans said Trump has a clear plan for handling the Iran situation, down from 40 percent at the start of the conflict.
Economic concerns remain widespread. Nearly three-quarters of respondents said rising gas prices have caused at least some hardship for their household, while 71 percent said Trump has not gone far enough to reduce the cost of everyday goods.
Signs of weakening support were also evident among Republicans.
Trump's approval rating among Republicans fell to 78 percent, the lowest level recorded during his time in office, according to CNN.
Enthusiasm about the remainder of his second term has also declined. Just 19 percent of Republicans said they were enthusiastic about the years ahead, down from 38 percent last spring.
While those figures still represent substantial support within the party, they point to growing unease among some voters who have traditionally been among Trump's strongest backers.
White voters have been a foundational part of Trump's coalition since his first successful presidential campaign in 2016 and have generally given him stronger ratings than the country as a whole.
The new polling does not mean white voters have become a Democratic-leaning constituency. Even so, the scale of the decline is notable because it shows many of the concerns weighing ...
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