Trump's approval rating drops among white working-class voters Polls shown declining approval for President Donald Trump
Trump's approval rating drops among white working-class voters
Polls shown declining approval for President Donald Trump among white working-class voters and rural voters, but that doesn't mean they're all swinging to Democrats in the midterms.
USA TODAY Updated July 12, 2026, 9:42 a.m. ET
Approval for former President Donald Trump is slipping among white working‑class and rural voters, driven by higher food and gas costs tied to the Iran war and tariffs, which could weaken Republican turnout in the 2026 midterms even though many still back the party.
When Ashton Reed voted for President Donald Trump in 2024, he was drawn by Trumps vow to recharge the economy and curb the inflation that many around his hometown of Jackson, Missouri, blamed on then-President Joe Biden.
Reed, 22, who has worked at an auto equipment factory and a heating and air conditioning company, has since seen prices rise and a war in Iran of the kind Trump promised to avoid. He also has been uneasy about Trump's aggressive immigration enforcement tactics.
A few months ago, Reed priced an Affordable Care Act health insurance plan for his wife and discovered it was too expensive after Trump and congressional Republicans allowed pandemic-era subsidies to expire. More recently, Reed, who does not have a four-year college degree, was laid off from his HVAC job.
A huge chunk of why I voted for him in 2024 was because of economics, Reed said of Trump. Obviously not happy with him at all'..............
radical noodle
(10,762 posts)but mess with his bank account and he's upset. Probably would still vote for him again, though.
slightlv
(8,301 posts)just have no heart. There is no amount of "woke" that will ever reach them. I don't know what kind of childhood they grew up within, what kind of physical environment that could make one so mean and cruel as an adult. I know and have read of so many who have had the "short end of the stick" all their lives, and yet will give you the shirt off their back... even if it's the only one they own... if you have none.
Something in their brains didn't grow, or develop correctly. There is an actual deficit or lack of whatever it is that allows one to imagine another's pain as one's own... that can't allow one to turn away from something so vulnerable that is suffering. Maybe it's because I wear my heart of my sleeve, but I just don't understand it. And I can't believe it's only Nurture that causes the deficit. These people are really and truly "broken people." Furthermore, I think they were broke at birth. And for our own good, someday... someway... we're going to have to be able to identify and insist on early intervention for those who are rated anti-social, psychopathic, or sociopathic... or any of the dark triads. To do that and not stomp on their freedom is a big problem, but not one we can't overcome, I hope. I mean, surely going through life in harmony with society in general and your community specifically must feel a better than always being rage-filled, adrenalin-ready for war.
It must be at least part Nature, because one can trace it back through family lines. Ah... but therein lies another danger. If we find the broken chromosome or whatever, is fixing it genetic manipulation that could lead to worse outcomes?
These are questions I ponder sometimes... as I wonder how we can create a more perfect world for everyone.
mb40
(22 posts)If you dont like what he is doing and his policies are ruining your life, vote for Democrats so they have the power to stop him from screwing you more..duh! They can work on reversing some of the damage.
Losing a job and healthcare may make you eligible for assistance..something else he wants to defund.
GoodRaisin
(11,238 posts)Womp womp.
democratsruletheday
(2,010 posts)this is Trump's 35% of racist, homophobic, misogynistic, knuckle dragging dickheads. They are alive and well folks. Live all around me in ruby red West Michigan. Damn door jams one and all.