President Donald Trump marked the anniversary of his 2024 election win this week with a celebration in Miami. He praised his record, but new polls showed his approval rating sinking massively.
“I think it’s the best nine months, they say, of any president,” Trump said at the America Business Forum on Nov. 5. “And I really believe that. If we can have a few more nine months like this, you’ll be very happy, very satisfied.”
.@POTUS takes the stage at the American Business Forum in Miami on the one-year anniversary of his historic electoral victory. GOD BLESS THE USA! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/pOcFA1Hmgw
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 5, 2025
Voters, though, seemed far from satisfied, as Democrats scored major wins in state and local races on Nov. 4. It came as a huge rebuke to the president’s agenda. The election took place amid the latest government shutdown, which dragged past the record length set during Trump’s first term.
A Slide Across Polls
According to USA Today, the latest Economist/YouGov poll put Trump’s approval at 39%, unchanged from the previous week. An NBC News survey showed him slightly higher at 43%, with 55% disapproving. And a CNN/SSRS poll released Nov. 3 pegged his approval at 37% — his lowest mark of the second term. Just a point above is the 36% rating he held at the same point in his first presidency.
That same CNN poll found 63% disapprove of the president’s job performance. That is his highest disapproval rating yet.
Across polls, the story is the same: most Americans think the economy and cost of living have worsened under Trump. In CNN’s survey, 61% said his policies made things worse, up 10 points since March. Nearly half of all respondents named the economy as the country’s top issue.
Numbers That Never Soared
Trump’s numbers started low and stayed there. When he returned to the White House, he ranked as one of the least popular incoming presidents in modern history, second only to a brief slump seen during the Carter era.
According to RealClearPolitics, his current average approval sits at 43.3%. The New York Times aggregator lists him at 42%, down from 52% in January. His term low of 42% came on Nov. 4. It was the day when the shutdown tied for the longest in U.S. history.
CNN’s latest poll finds Trump’s approval sinking to new lows — 63% disapprove of his job performance, 72% call the economy poor, and majorities across independents, young voters, and racial and ethnic minorities say he’s made things worse.#VoteBlue pic.twitter.com/wnYJgLMv4O
— David Earl Williams III (@dewforpolitics) November 4, 2025
Even early on, before trade wars and diplomatic feuds, Trump never enjoyed huge support. Polls after his return to office showed that his approval upon entering was already underwater.
A Familiar Low
So while the headlines call this a new low, it’s really a familiar story. Trump has rarely been a popular president. His support base is loyal but narrow, his opposition steady and loud.
Now, as he enters another winter in office with approval ratings scraping bottom, one question remains. For Donald Trump, was there ever really a high to fall from?
