Trump approval rating slips as Epstein controversy bites, according to new poll

The approval rating of President Donald J. Trump has fallen as a result of the Epstein controversy among other factors such as tariff announcements, weak economic data, and backlash against ICE deportations nationwide.

President Trump, Andrew Harnik/Getty Images.

The new poll from the Economist/YouGov showed that Trump's approval rating is reaching new lows, with roughly 55% of all American respondents opposing the president and 41% supporting the president. About 4% of respondents listed "not sure" as their response in the grandiose survey of 1,702.

Specifically, Trump's approval rating remains very low with female voters, with him having nearly 59% of females opposing and only 35% in support. Meanwhile, his approval with men has slipped, with a majority 50% opposing while 47% supporting. Men made up the biggest winning coalition for Trump in the 2024 election, and the president also made inroads with minority women, especially African Americans and Hispanic Americans.

Quite surprisingly, the president is performing well in regard to jobs/the economy, with 40% in approval and 53% in disapproval. However, in inflation/prices, 59% disapprove and 34% approve. In immigration, the president is performing best with a slim majority 51% opposing and 45% supporting his mass ICE deportations among other immigration policies.

Clearly voters' sentiments about inflation have been a key driver of the president's downward spiral, with key economic results such as the revised June jobs report and the current July jobs report, both of which showing slowing rates of job growth as companies manage market volatility in the wake of tariffs and trade wars. This has caused stocks to decrease as a result both at the end of last week and the beginning of this week.

However, Trump's approval slip has been primarily fueled by the fallout of the Epstein files controversy, where the president refused to release the files despite having released other controversial files such as the JFK assassination report, and having promised to "declassify" the files during the 2024 presidential race. Many have interpreted his refusal to release the files as a sign that he might have been involved with Epstein's campaign at similar levels to Bill Clinton and others. Therefore, his approval slipped.