Donald Trump’s trump approval rating has dropped to a record low this week among Americans, driven by defections from his core 2024 voters and losses among older Americans and nonvoters. The latest YouGov poll shows 35% of Americans strongly or somewhat approve of how Trump is handling his job as president, while 58% disapprove, yielding a net job approval of -23. The shift reflects falling approval inside previously reliable groups and marks the lowest net approval in this poll series across both of Trump’s terms; updated April 2, 2026, 12: 00 p. m. ET.
Trump Approval Rating: Key Numbers and Historical Context
The poll places Trump’s net job approval at -23, the lowest net approval he has received in any Economist/YouGov polling conducted during his first or second terms. Only once before in this series did approval dip below 35% (34% in November 2017), and only once did disapproval top 58% (59% in February 2026). At comparable points in prior presidencies, Trump’s net approval stood at -11 at this stage of his first term and Joe Biden’s net approval was -6 at the same point in his term.
Defections Among 2024 Trump Voters
The poll shows a measurable slide inside the president’s own coalition. Three weeks earlier, 84% of people who voted for Trump in 2024 approved of his job handling while 12% disapproved, a +72 net job approval among that group. This week, approval among 2024 Trump voters stands at 76% approve versus 19% disapprove, a +57 net job approval. The overall share of Trump’s 2024 voters who approve of his job handling has fallen from 93% at the start of the term to 84% three weeks ago and now to 76%.
Shifts Among Seniors and Nonvoters
Older Americans have moved sharply as well. Among those 65 and older, 40% approve and 57% disapprove of Trump’s job handling, for a net job approval of -17 — down from -1 at the start of Trump’s second term. Approval among nonvoters has also declined, to 25% from 43% at the start of the term, suggesting the president’s losses are not limited to one demographic slice.
The scale of the declines — across his own 2024 voters, seniors and nonvoters — produced the record-low net job approval of -23 registered in this week’s YouGov poll. The trend follows earlier lows recorded in this polling series and marks a notable downward move in public sentiment about Trump’s job performance.
What comes next: the immediate focus will be whether these declines persist in subsequent weekly polls and whether the president’s campaign and governing teams alter messaging or policy to halt defections. Watch for updates in the coming weeks as new polling rounds report changes in the trump approval rating and subgroup trends; updated results will clarify whether this is an enduring shift or a short-term swing.
