National polling has shown persistent weakness for President Donald Trump on cost-of-living issues as voters weigh the economic fallout from the conflict with Iran. The latest shift came in a Reuters/Ipsos survey released April 28, which found his overall approval rating still below 40% and his standing on the economy at a new low. The poll adds to a broader picture of rising public dissatisfaction as fuel costs and consumer anxiety remain elevated.
Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Trump still below 40% approval
President Donald Trump’s approval rating fell to 34% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed April 27 and reported April 28, according to Reuters, marking the lowest level of his current term. Reuters said the four-day national survey found that 53% of Americans disapproved of Trump’s job performance, while his rating among registered voters stood at 37%. The same poll found his approval on the economy at 27%, a figure Reuters reported was lower than any reading during his 2017-2021 presidency.
The survey also showed continued public skepticism about the administration’s approach to Iran. Reuters reported that approval for Trump’s handling of the conflict remained under 40%, reflecting months of public unease after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28. That issue has become increasingly linked to domestic concerns because of its effect on energy markets and household costs.
Ipsos data released alongside the poll showed 61% of Americans said the national economy was on the wrong track, up from 43% in January 2025. A majority also described the U.S. economy as weak, underscoring the extent to which inflation and energy prices have shaped the political environment. Those findings place the economy, rather than foreign policy alone, at the center of the president’s declining approval numbers.
The polling is national in scope, and neither Reuters nor Ipsos released state-by-state approval estimates tied to this survey. That means there is no verified breakdown showing whether voters in individual states shifted more sharply than the national average on Trump’s handling of Iran or the economy. What is confirmed is that the cost pressures measured in the poll are broad and linked to nationwide consumer concerns.
Reuters reported that U.S. gasoline prices had surged more than 40% to about $4.18 a gallon since the February 28 strikes on Iran, a jump that has carried direct consequences for commuters, businesses and household budgets across the country. Higher fuel prices can feed into delivery costs, food prices and other everyday expenses, which helps explain why respondents increasingly connected foreign policy developments to personal finances.
The survey does not identify which metro areas or states are feeling the sharpest pain, and no comprehensive local list of impacts accompanied the national results. Still, the poll’s findings suggest that for residents in large and small markets alike, concern about the economy is not abstract. It is showing up in how voters assess the president’s performance on issues they encounter every day.
Reuters attributed the slide in Trump’s approval largely to cost-of-living pressures and dissatisfaction with the Iran conflict. The report said the war disrupted global oil trade after the February strikes, helping push gasoline prices sharply higher and intensify frustration over daily expenses. In the same poll, Americans gave especially weak marks to Trump’s handling of inflation-related concerns, reinforcing that pocketbook issues are driving the broader political damage.
Ipsos said the share of Americans who believe the economy is on the wrong track rose substantially over the first months of 2026. That change suggests a deeper erosion in economic confidence than a single headline inflation measure might capture. When voters say the economy is weak, polling analysts often view that as a sign that perceptions are being shaped by cumulative costs, not only by one-month changes in prices.
For residents and consumers, the practical takeaway is that national political sentiment is moving with everyday affordability concerns. There is no new federal policy change announced in the poll itself, but the findings indicate that fuel prices, household expenses and the war’s economic spillover remain central to how Americans are judging the White House. As of late April, Reuters’ data showed those pressures were still weighing heavily on the president’s standing.