What is Donald Trump's approval rating? See latest polls

• The war in Iran has led to a resignation from the Trump administration and is controversial among American voters.
• President Trump's approval rating is currently net negative, with recent polls showing around 40-42% approval and 55% disapproval.
• Trump maintains strong support within the Republican party, with over 80% approval in recent polls.

The war in Iran prompted a resignation from President Donald Trump's administration this week, the first in less than three weeks of the conflict.

The war has proved controversial with Americans, as several polls show that about half of voters disapprove of Trump's handling of the war or military action in Iran at all.

With the midterm primaries well underway, many eyes are on Trump's approval rating as the midterms often act as a referendum on the presidency. A low approval rating for the president may ring alarm bells for Republicans who want to keep control of Congress after votes are cast in November.

So what is Trump's approval rating? Here is what to know:

What is Donald Trump's approval rating?

Averages calculated by the New York Times and RealClearPolitics aggregators show Trump's approval rating has been net negative since the spring of his first year back in office. From April to November, it stayed relatively stable until dropping suddenly, and has been fluctuating since.

RealClearPolitics graphics show 42.3% approve of Trump's job performance and 55.2% disapprove as of March 18. The lowest term approval came on Feb. 17 at 42%. It was also his worst net approval rating at -13.5 percentage points, which he also reached the following week.

The New York Times aggregator shows 40% approve of Trump's job performance as of March 18, his lowest per the Times, which he first reached on Feb 12. His disapproval is at 55%. His highest disapproval was reached on March 1 at 57%.

The low dates in the poll aggregators reflect polls taken in previous days. In mid-February, fallout continued from millions of documents released through the Epstein Files Transparency Act, Trump took a major blow when the Supreme Court ruled against many of his tariffs and tensions with Iran were on the rise.

What does the GOP think of Trump?

Trump has long been a polarizing figure, with his approval rating largely held up by his own party. Here are some recent polls and their breakdown on his approval by party:

Economist/YouGov: Poll conducted March 13-16 among 1,595 adult citizens with a margin of error of approximately 3.5%

• Overall approval: 37% approve and 56% disapprove
• Republican approval: 84% approve and 11% disapprove
• Democrat approval: 4% approve and 92% disapprove

Morning Consult: Poll conducted March 13-16 among  2,201 registered U.S. voters with a margin of error of 2 percentage points.

• Overall approval: 43% approve and 54% disapprove
• Republican approval: 86% approve and 13% disapprove
• Democrat approval: 10% approve and 88% disapprove

How does Trump's approval rating compare to his first term?

Trump's approval rating is comparable to his first term. The New York Times aggregator shows that at this point in his first term, Trump had a net approval of -14 percentage points, compared to -15 at present. The RealClearPolitics aggregator shows 41.1% approve and 54.2% disapproved as of March 17, 2018.

Contributing: Kathryn Palmer, USA TODAY

Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at [email protected]. Follow her onX (Twitter), Threads,Bluesky andTikTok.