As August 2026 begins, another round of approval polls for President Donald Trump is available.
As reported by USA TODAY on Aug. 12, a recent poll from Economist/YouGov placed the president’s approval ratings at a “new low,” with one in three Americans, or 33%, of respondents approving of his job performance, according to the results. USA TODAY described this as the “lowest approval rating” that the president has seen in YouGov tracking since returning to office in 2025.
Other recent Trump headlines highlight some of the president’s controversial decisions, including his attempts to end birthright citizenship, his refusal to dismiss the possibility of declaring a national security emergency in order to establish new voting restrictions before midterm elections and more.
Here’s the latest on polls in North Carolina and the entire U.S.
Recent polls found the following on Trump’s approval rating:
As previously reported by the Citizen Times, a study from Catawba College published June 23 surveyed 1,000 online respondents in an online survey. Responses found a 43% approval rating and a 54% disapproval rating (with an overall margin of error of +/-3.83%) among North Carolina residents.
The latest Catawba College report also surveyed respondents on N.C. Gov. Josh Stein’s approval rating among Tar Heel State residents. The survey found that among 905 weighted likely voters, Stein held a 53% approval rating and a 27% disapproval rating.
Heading into the midterm election, the Catawba College study also collected responses on the approval rating for N.C.’s U.S. Senate candidates. Among the survey’s 905 weighted likely voters, Republican Michael Whatley received a 34% approval rating.
Democrat candidate for the U.S. Senate seat race and former N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper received a 48% approval rating on the latest Catawba College survey.
According to results from now-defunct polling website FiveThirtyEight, Trump had a final approval rating of 34% when he left office in 2021. His approval average during his first term was 41%.
Data compiled by USA TODAY found the following:
Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@citizentimes.com.