• President Trump’s approval rating has remained low but stable in recent months, hovering around 40-43% according to several polls.
• Trump’s approval rating is historically low compared to other modern presidents at the same point in their first term.
• As the government shutdown began, polls showed voters were divided on who to blame, with many faulting both parties.

Despite some often unprecedented actions in recent months, President Donald Trump‘s approval ratings have remained relatively constant.

Over his first eight months of his second term, Trump has deployed troops to American cities, fluctuated on his stance with international tariffs and been frequently taken to court.

While his approval rating is historically low compared to other presidents (only his first presidency was worse), it has mostly held steady since the beginning of April.

Now, he must face another obstacle: the government shutdown that started Oct. 1.

What are Trump’s approval ratings nationally and how do Pennsylvanians feel about his performance? Here are poll results this week:

New York Times/Siena: Approval rating low but stable

A New York Times/Siena poll taken Sept. 22-27 among 1,313 registered voters found Trump’s approval rating held steady at 43%. (The margin of error among those likely to vote is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.)

“At the start of his term, Mr. Trump’s approval rating fell from its post-election highs, and it remains weak compared with his predecessors at this point in their presidencies,” the New York Times reported. “But over the last several months, his rating has been resilient and stable, reflecting that most voters’ opinions on him have hardened.”

The poll was published as the country was headed for a government shutdown, which started Oct. 1.

The poll found most U.S. voters surveyed said both parties would be at fault for a shutdown, at 33%. Yet between the two parties, a little more than a quarter of respondents, 26%, said they would blame congressional Republicans and Trump, and 19% pointed their fingers at the Democrats. Another 21% said they had not heard enough about the shutdown to say who was responsible.

Pew: Trump approval rating steady, more Democrats disapprove of their leaders

A Pew survey conducted Sept. 22-28 among 3,445 U.S. adults found Trump’s approval rating stands at 40%, up slightly since August and on par with April and June. (The poll’s margin of error is 1.9 percentage points.)

The poll also found more Democrats disapproved than approved of their own party leaders’ job performance in Congress, with 59% disapproving and 40% approving. The pollster said it marked the first time Democrats held such negative opinions in more than a decade of Pew Research Center surveys. In the last such survey, in 2023, these figures were nearly the reverse: A total of 61% of Democrats approved of their congressional leaders’ job performance and 37% disapproved.

Conversely, Republicans in the poll gave their party’s leadership in Congress a much higher approval rating than in recent years: 69% of Republicans approved of the job that GOP congressional leaders are doing. That’s up from 54% approval in 2023.

What are Pennsylvania approval ratings for President Trump

According to Civiqs polls, last updated Oct. 2, Trump’s net approval stands at -5% in Pennsylvania.About 51% of Pennsylvanians polled disapprove of the president’s performance. About 45% approve of Trump’s job performance and another 5% didn’t feel one way or the other.

These polling numbers were also broken down by age, education, gender, race and party.

Age: Those between 18–34 were most unfavorable of Trump (60%), while those 50 to 64 and voters 65 and older were the most favorable (52%).Education: Respondents across most education levels disapprove of Trump’s job performance, with 46% of non-college graduates approving of Trump and 67% of postgraduates 53% of college graduates disapproving of the job Trump is doing..Gender: Men and women are split on Trump, more than half of females (57%) holding an unfavorable view and about half of males (52%) having a favorable view of the president.Party: Members of the Republican party were 89% favorable of Trump, compared to the Democratic party, who felt just 2% favorable of the president’s performance. Less than half of Independent voters were favorable (47%).Race: Black voters had the highest unfavorable opinion of Trump (89%), followed by Other races at 62%, Hispanic/Latino at 60%. About 51% of White respondents felt Trump was doing a good job.

Economist/YouGov: 53% of Americans think the economy is getting worse

An Economist/YouGov poll of 1,656 U.S. adult citizens taken Sept. 26-29 found Trump recieved 40% approval. The pollster said he hit a term low two weeks ago at 39% approval. (The margin of error for the overall sample is about 3.5%.)

The poll also found 19% of Americans think the economy is getting better, while 53% think it is getting worse. Republicans’ views of the direction of the economy also appear to be getting worse, with the lowest margin in this term (41% of Republicans say it is getting better and 22% say it is getting worse, the poll found).

Trump’s approval rating is low compared to other presidents

In a Gallup poll conducted from Sept. 2-16, 40% approved of Trump’s job performance, unchanged from the previous month.

A historical analysis by Gallup shows Trump’s approval ratings in September of his first years in office − both as the 45th and 47th presidents − are lower than any other modern president at the same time in their administrations. Here is how his September approval compares to other presidents in September of their first year of their term, according to Gallup:

• Joe Biden (September 2021) – 43% approve
• Trump (September 2017) – 37% approve
• Barack Obama (September 2009) – 52% approve
• George W. Bush (September 2001) – 76% approve
• Bill Clinton (September 1993) – 50% approve
• George H.W. Bush (September 1989) – 70% approve
• Ronald Reagan (September 1981) – 52% approve

How has Trump’s average approval rating changed this term?

Averages based on RealClearPolitics Poll and New York Times aggregators show Trump’s approval rating has been trending downward slightly for nearly two weeks after remaining relatively steady for the previous two months.

As of Jan. 27, 50.5% approved, giving Trump a net positive rating until March 13, when it flipped to net negative with 47.8% approval, compared to 48.5% disapproval, RealClearPolitics graphics show. The approval rating reached a low on April 29 at 45.1% approval, which fell around Trump’s 100-day mark. It reached a new low on Sept. 30, the day before the government shutdown started, at 44.8% approving.

The New York Times aggregator showed Trump’s approval fell from 52% approval in January to 44% approval in April, and has held steady since. According to the Times, Trump’s term low is 43% approval, which he first reached on Aug. 21.

Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @kinseycrowley.bsky.social.