Donald Trump Gets Worrying Sign Ahead of Midterms

By Kate Plummer

Senior US News Reporter

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U.S. President Donald Trump has been hit with negative polling ahead of the November 2026 midterm elections.

According to a poll by the Bullfinch Group, the majority of Americans would vote for Democrats over Republican candidates in the upcoming elections while the majority also disapprove of the president's job performance.

While it is 11 months until voters head to the polls to vote in the midterm elections, if the polling is sustained it could be problematic for the GOP.

William Hall, an adjunct professor of political science and business at Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri told Newsweek: "The prospects for a highly significant amount of positive change and a turn around to occur, in the increasingly and consistent negative trend of disapproval ratings for both President Trump and by association, the GOP, is beginning to look at this point, more and more daunting. The outcome of the 2026 midterm elections, given this current negative trend in approval, may very well depend, ultimately, on the ability of President Trump and the GOP, to be able to shift gears, change course and develop and implement a political strategy reflecting a much more effective approach to both public policies and governing, that is more in tune with the voters."

Newsweek reached out to the White House by email to comment on this story.

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Why It Matters

While Trump is not on the ballot in the midterms, if Republicans perform badly it could be seen as a judgement of his administration and will affect his reputation. The GOP recently performed poorly in a series of elections on November 4, including the New York City mayoral election, where Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani defeated independent Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa.

Meanwhile, Republicans have a slim majority of 219 to 214 in the House of Representatives, and when Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene resigns in January that majority will narrow further. Losing just a handful of seats could make it difficult for the GOP to carry out its agenda during the rest of Trump's term.

What To Know

According to the poll, 37 percent of people said they would vote for a Democratic candidate if the 2026 midterms were held today, while 32 percent said they would opt for the Republican candidate.

Meanwhile, it found that 54 percent of people disapprove of the job Trump is doing.

The poll of 1,200 adults was conducted between November 21 and 25 and it had a margin of error of +/- 2.83 percentage points.

It comes amid other damaging polls regarding the President. A Fox News poll found last month that 76 percent of voters view the economy negatively. This makes Trump less popular on the economy than former President Joe Biden. At the end of his presidency in 2024, Fox News polling showed that 70 percent of people had a negative view of viewed the economy.

More broadly, a recent poll by The Economist/YouGov found Trump’s approval rating at its lowest level since he returned to office in January, with 39 percent of people approving of the job he is doing, and 58 percent disapproving, a net approval rating of -19 points.

However, other polls have painted a more optimistic picture. According toa new I&I/TIPP poll, Trump's net approval rating is -3 percentage points with 44 percent approving of him and 47 percent disapproving.

This is an improvement from last month when, with 41 percent approving of him and 49 percent disapproving, Trump had a net approval rating of -8 percentage points.

What People Are Saying

President Donald Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social in November: "So many Fake Polls are being shown by the Radical Left Media, all slanted heavily toward Democrats and Far Left Wingers…Fake News will never change, they are evil and corrupt but, as I look around my beautiful surroundings, I say to myself, 'Oh, look, I’m sitting in the Oval Office!'"