Donald Trump Approval Ratings Slide With Independents as Iran Handling Draws Rising Disapproval
Donald Trump approval ratings moved deeper into negative territory this week as Americans continued to disapprove of his job performance, with the sharpest shift centered on Iran. In the Economist / YouGov Poll released this week, 37% strongly or somewhat approve of how Donald Trump is doing his job as president while 56% disapprove, producing a net job approval of -18 after rounding. The poll also shows a marked deterioration among Independents on Trump’s handling of Iran and on expectations about the impact of U. S. military intervention.
Latest poll snapshot: overall job approval remains underwater
The Economist / YouGov Poll found that a majority of Americans disapprove of Trump’s job handling, consistent with trends over the past few months. The poll’s toplines show 37% approving and 56% disapproving, for a net job approval of -18 after rounding.
The poll also notes that the last time a three-week average of Trump’s net job approval was higher than -15 was September 2025, underscoring that the current reading fits into a longer stretch of negative sentiment.
Donald Trump Approval Ratings meet an Iran problem, with Independents shifting fastest
On the specific question of handling “the situation in Iran, ” Trump’s net approval registered at -20 this week, a decline from last week’s -13. Last week, 39% approved of Trump’s handling of Iran while 52% disapproved. This week’s reading reflects weaker approval and stronger disapproval overall, with the steepest movement concentrated among Independents.
The poll describes the decline in approval of Trump’s handling of Iran as “almost entirely among Independents. ” While Democratic disapproval and Republican approval remained largely unchanged week to week, Independents moved sharply: their view of Trump’s handling of Iran fell to 24% approve and 63% disapprove this week (net -39), down from 30% approve and 53% disapprove last week (net -23).
Independents also grew more pessimistic about the effect of U. S. military intervention on Iran. This week, 50% of Independents expect intervention to worsen the situation in Iran and 18% expect an improvement. A week earlier, 40% expected things to get worse and 24% expected things to get better. The poll states that Democratic and Republican views also worsened on this question, though not as much as among Independents: 72% of Democrats expect things to get worse, up from 64% last week, while 55% of Republicans expect improvement, down from 64% last week.
Issue-by-issue approval: crime highest, Iran and other topics lower
Across the seven issues tested in the poll, more Americans disapprove than approve of Trump’s handling in every category. The strongest issue for Trump in net terms is crime, where 43% approve and 47% disapprove, a net approval of -4. The poll adds that on crime, immigration, and the military, approval for Trump’s handling of each issue exceeds his overall job approval.
At the same time, the poll indicates that approval of Trump’s handling of the environment, race relations, the situation in Iran, and investigations into Jeffrey Epstein is lower than Trump’s overall approval—placing Iran among the areas dragging most on perceptions of his performance.
Immediate reactions in the numbers: war support, priorities, and confidence
The poll shows broad resistance to conflict with Iran and doubts about its success. Only 33% of Americans strongly or somewhat support the war with Iran, while 56% oppose it. When asked about priorities, 61% want to prioritize ending the war as quickly as possible, compared with 24% who would prioritize continuing to fight until all U. S. objectives have been achieved.
On leadership in crisis, 32% are confident in Trump’s ability to deal wisely with an international crisis, while 56% are uneasy about his approach. The poll also records public uncertainty and division about responsibility for a specific incident it describes: 46% think the U. S. is responsible for the February 28 missile strike on a girls’ elementary school in southern Iran that killed about 165 people, 17% say the U. S. is not responsible, and 37% are not sure.
What’s next to watch
Donald Trump approval ratings now hinge heavily on whether the negative movement among Independents stabilizes or accelerates as attitudes toward Iran harden. The clearest near-term signal will be whether Independent approval on Trump’s handling of Iran remains at this week’s low levels or rebounds, and whether broader opposition to the war—already higher than support—continues to shape perceptions of his job performance in the weeks ahead.
