Trump's Approval Sinks Amid Unpopular War, Darkening G.O.P. Prospects

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/18/us/politics/poll-trump-republicans-midterms-iran.html

https://archive.ph/Y2YyO

Trump’s Approval Sinks Amid Unpopular War, Darkening G.O.P. Prospects
With the midterms nearing, President Trump’s approval rating has hit a second-term low as voters question his handling of the economy, according to the latest New York Times/Siena poll.
By Lisa Lerer, Ruth Igielnik and Camille Baker
May 18, 2026, 5:02 a.m. ET

Most voters think President Trump made the wrong decision to go to war with Iran, a New York Times/Siena poll found, leaving the Republican Party on rocky political footing heading into the midterm elections as his approval rating sinks and economic concerns rise.

Majorities of voters said that the war was not worth the costs and held deeply pessimistic views about the economy.

Mr. Trump’s approval rating — a key historical predictor of how a president’s party will fare in an election — has sunk to a second-term low in Times/Siena polls of 37 percent amid the deeply unpopular Middle East conflict.

Nearly two-thirds of voters said that going to war had been the wrong decision, including almost three-quarters of politically crucial independents. Less than a quarter of all voters thought the conflict had been worth the costs.

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