Trump’s Approval Rating Among Working Class Now Underwater by 28 Points

[Thiệu Ngô]

U.S. President Donald Trump's approval rating among the working class is underwater by 28 points, new polling shows.

By Kate Plummer

According to The Economist/YouGov polling, the proportion of people earning less than $50,000 a year who approve of Trump's job performance is 34 percent, while 62 percent of people disapprove.

Why It Matters

While lower-income voters traditionally lean toward the Democratic Party, Trump made significant gains with this group in the 2024 election. Exit polling from the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research shows that he increased his share of the vote of those earning under $50,000 a year from 44 percent in 2020 to 50 percent in 2024.

If the president loses the support of these voters, it could prove damaging for the Republican Party more broadly, especially ahead of the November 2026 midterms as the GOP seeks to defend its slim majority in the House of Representatives.

What To Know

Trump's net approval rating of -28 points among those earning under $50,000 is lower than the survey's findings among all salary groups. The pollsters found that, overall, 38 percent approved of Trump's job performance, while 57 percent disapproved, leaving him with a net approval rating of -19 percentage points.

It also found that higher earners were more likely to report less negative opinions about Trump's job performance, though his rating was still underwater among these groups. His net approval rating among people earning $50,000 to $100,000 was -12 percent, while it was -10 percent among those earning over $100,000.

Other polls have also suggested that Trump is losing the support of lower-income voters. According to YouGov/Economist polling conducted from October 4 to October 6, Trump's approval rating among this group fell from September, when Trump's net approval rating among voters earning under $50,000 a year was -15 percentage points, to -24 points in October.

While the polling did not offer reasons for lower-income voters' disapproval of Trump, the economy is a key concern for American voters. The president pledged to bring down inflation on the campaign trail, but since taking office, the public has taken umbrage with some of Trump's economic policies, including his implementation of tariffs on the U.S.'s trading partners.

The recent government shutdown also affected the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides about 42 million low- and no-income Americans with funds to buy groceries. This may have contributed to public dissatisfaction with Trump. Grocery inflation and concerns about the cost of living may have also affected respondents' answers.

Speaking with Newsweek, Mark Shanahan who teaches American politics at the University of Surrey in the U.K. said "the sluggish economy" and "the increasingly ostentatious opulence" of Trump's lifestyle were affecting his polling.

"There's little spare cash in the average American's wallet," he added. "Every trip to the supermarket costs a little more. And unavoidable expenses such as health care premiums are turning stratospheric. Trump keeps talking about cutting the cost of living, but his rhetoric isn't matched by delivery."

He continued: "Meanwhile he's turning the White House into a Northern Mar-a-Lago, setting off for golf or photo ops at every opportunity, and seemingly getting a great personal financial return on the presidency out of everything from crypto currency to suing foreign broadcasters.

"Trump, quite simply, no longer appears the outsider president fighting for the dispossessed. For many working-class Americans, he's no longer on their side."

Other broader negative polling about the president include a recent poll by The Economist/YouGov that found Trump's approval rating at its lowest level since he returned to office in January: 39 percent of people approve of the job he is doing, and 58 percent disapprove—a net approval rating of -19 points.

What Happens Next

Trump's popularity among people from all salary groups will likely fluctuate in response to his different economic policies as his presidency continues.