What Donald Trump's approval ratings show in rising gas prices polls
Kinsey Crowley- President Donald Trump has an average approval rating of about 38%-40%.
- Reuters and CNN polls show Americans blame the Trump administration for rising gas prices.
President Donald Trump said he doesn't think about Americans' financial situations, but polls show the majority of people blame Republicans for high prices.
Asked if the high cost of living motivates him to reach a deal with Iran on May 12, Trump told reporters, "I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing. We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon."
Vice President JD Vance appeared to walk that back the following day, saying, "of course the president, and I, and the entire team, we care about the American peoples' financial situations."
Trump ran on affordability in 2024, but even before the war in Iran pushed up gas prices, polls showed voters thought he needed to do more to address the cost of living. That, coupled with low approval ratings, has spelled trouble for Republicans in this midterm year. See the latest polls:
What do Americans think of their financial situation?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics found inflation in April is up 3.8% from a year ago, the highest level in three years. The national average for a gallon of gas is $4.53 as of May 14, according to AAA.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted May 8-11 found 63% of Americans said the financial situation in their household has worsened due to gas price increases, up from 55% in a mid-March poll. About 75% of people believe the administration bears "at least a fair amount of responsibility" for the spike in gas prices, according to Reuters. The poll was conducted among 1,254 U.S. adults and has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.
Seventy-seven percent, including a majority of Republicans, said Trump's policies increased their cost of living, according to a CNN/SSRS poll published May 12. Also, about two-thirds of Americans said that Trump's policies made the country's economic conditions worse, according to the poll conducted April 30 - May 4 among 1,499 U.S. adults. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.
What is Donald Trump's approval rating?
The CNN poll shows 35% approve of Trump's job performance and 65% disapprove. The Reuters poll shows 36% approve and 63% disapprove.
Trump's approval rating has been net negative for about a year and has been fluctuating but trending more negative over the last several months. Here is Trump's average approval rating on May 13, according to aggregators:
- RealClearPolitics Poll Average: 40.2% approve, 56.5% disapprove
- New York Times: 38% approve, 59% disapprove
- Silver Bulletin: 38.5% approve, 58.1% disapprove
Contributing: Joey Garrison, Francesca Chambers, Rachel Barber, 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.