Donald Trump believes his popularity may be higher now, despite Republicans’ major losses to Democrats in the 2026 midterm elections. However, recent approval polls suggest that Trump has lost favor with many Americans.
How Donald Trump’s popularity claim compares with recent approval polling
According to HuffPost, Trump reflected on his current standing during a November 12 interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt. The president said he believed his popularity among Americans might be higher, despite Republicans losing control of both chambers of Congress in the midterms.
“This midterm was lousy, but it wasn’t as bad as others, as you know,” Trump said. He compared the Republican losses with previous midterm defeats suffered by Democratic presidents. Trump suggested that Republicans struggled because he was not on the ballot. He also recalled his victory in the 2024 presidential election, which he cited as evidence of his popularity among Americans.
“I think my level of popularity maybe is higher than it was, I’m not sure, but it feels to me that it would be higher. Other than what happened in the midterms,” he claimed.
However, recent polling offers a different picture. A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted November 6–9 found that 32% of Americans approved of Trump’s job performance, while 65% disapproved. His net approval rating stood at minus 33 points, close to his career low of minus 34 recorded in October.
Trump also referred to an August poll that placed him above former presidents Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan in popularity. Speaking about the results, Trump suggested that they demonstrated his popularity. However, the survey measured admiration among Republican respondents, not the broader American public. CNN reported that 53% of Republicans selected Trump as the president they admired most, compared with 18% for Reagan and 8% for Lincoln.
The midterm results came amid widespread dissatisfaction with the Trump administration. Voters cited rising living costs and concerns about the economic impact of the Iran war among the factors shaping their decisions. Democrats won control of both the House and the Senate, marking a significant setback for Republicans.
