President Donald Trump's approval rating has hit a career low of 32% as the public and fellow Republicans sour on the ongoing war in Iran and its severe economic fallout. The House of Representatives delivered a bipartisan rebuke by voting 220-204 to curb Trump's war powers, with seven Republicans breaking ranks. Facing record-high fuel costs and devastating midterm polling, vulnerable GOP candidates like Mike Rogers and Ashley Hinson are actively distancing themselves from the administration's military policy.
Trump Approval Ratings
- ▪In a September 16-17, 2026, CNN poll by SSRS, 29 percent of United States adults approved of President Donald Trump's foreign affairs handling, and Republican approval of his Iran handling fell to 60 percent from 73 percent in March 2026.
- ▪President Donald Trump's overall approval rating fell to a career low of 32 percent in a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on September 20, 2026, down from 35 percent a week prior.
- ▪Approval of President Donald Trump's job performance among Republicans dropped to 73 percent in the September 20, 2026, Reuters/Ipsos poll, down from 82 percent the previous week.
GOP Midterm Election Prospects
- ▪An internal GOP poll by Quorum Insights showed support for Republicans collapsing in a north Texas congressional district that voted for President Donald Trump by 17 points in 2024.
- ▪A Suffolk University poll released on September 22, 2026, showed Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers falling clearly behind progressive Democratic opponent Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan.
- ▪Registered voters in a September 2026 Reuters/Ipsos poll favored Democrats over Republicans for the upcoming midterm elections by 43 percent to 35 percent, the largest Democratic lead of the year.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
- ▪A CNN poll conducted September 16-17, 2026, showed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's approval rating at 34 percent overall and 72 percent among Republicans.
- ▪Republican Representative Thomas Massie proposed eight articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on September 15, 2026, over his handling of the war with Iran and civilian casualties.
Cost of living issues
- ▪Congress passed a housing affordability bill in the summer of 2026, but it failed to improve President Donald Trump's approval ratings.
- ▪In a September 20, 2026, Reuters/Ipsos poll, only 17 percent approved of President Donald Trump's handling of the cost of living, and for the first time, disapproving Republicans outnumbered those who approve, 51 percent to 44 percent.
House Vote on Iran War Powers
- ▪Seven House Republicans, including Nancy Mace, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, and Zach Nunn for the first time, voted with Democrats on September 15, 2026, to limit President Donald Trump's war powers in Iran.
- ▪The September 15, 2026, House resolution directing President Donald Trump to halt the Iran war launched by Trump in February 2026 was introduced by Representative Seth Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts
- ▪The United States House of Representatives voted 220 to 204 on September 15, 2026, to direct President Donald Trump to end the war in Iran, launched by Trump in February 2026, or seek explicit congressional authorization
Republican candidates on Iran
- ▪Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers of Michigan previously defended President Donald Trump's authority to strike Iran during a late-July 2026 television interview.
- ▪Republican Senate candidates Mike Rogers of Michigan and Representative Ashley Hinson of Iowa called on September 21, 2026, for a swift end to Trump's war in Iran, diverging from their previous support for Trump's authority to strike Iran
Outlook on Iran war
- ▪The war with Iran, launched by Trump in February 2026, has severely disrupted Middle East oil and gas production, driving global diesel and gasoline prices to record highs
- ▪A September 2026 Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 82 percent of respondents believed the war with Iran, launched by President Trump, would likely continue for an extended period
Debatable claims
- ▪The United States should immediately withdraw its military forces from Iran
- ▪Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth should be impeached over the Iran war
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