Trump's popularity dips as Americans sweat cost of living, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump's presidential approval rating fell in recent days, tying the lowest level of his term, as more Americans frowned on his handling of the cost of living, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.

The three-day poll, which concluded on Sunday (Oct 26), showed 40 per cent of Americans approve of the Republican leader's job performance, compared to 42 per cent in an Oct 15-20 Reuters/Ipsos poll.

Trump's popularity has been within a percentage point or two of its current level in every Reuters/Ipsos poll since mid-May. The share of people who say they disapprove of his performance has grown, from 52 per cent in a May 16-18 poll to 57 per cent in the latest survey.

The president won last year's election on promises to tackle the surge in inflation that damaged his predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden.

But Americans give Trump exceptionally low marks on how he has managed the costs weighing on US households, with 63 per cent of the country disapproving of his handling of the cost of living, up from 58 per cent earlier this month and more than twice the share who think he has done a good job on costs.

The pace of inflation has edged higher since Trump took office in January, even as the job market has weakened, leading the country's central bank to lower interest rates.

Public reaction to shutdown remains muted

The survey results suggest many Americans have only modest concerns about the ongoing government shutdown, the second-longest in US history, which has furloughed hundreds of thousands of federal workers. 

Some 29 per cent said they either didn't care or were glad about the shutdown, while 20 per cent said they were angry. Some 50 per cent said they were frustrated. Most respondents said the shutdown had little or no impact on their lives.

While Trump's Republicans hold majorities in both chambers of Congress, Democrats have blocked spending bills in the US Senate, pledging to hold their ground until Republicans agree to extend health insurance subsidies due to expire at the end of the year.

In principle, the Democratic Party's position appears to have significant backing. Some 73 per cent of Americans polled want the insurance subsidies to continue despite arguments that they will increase the federal budget deficit, little changed from the results of a poll conducted earlier in the month.

The poll, which was conducted online, surveyed 1,018 US adults nationwide, and its findings on the views of all Americans had a margin of error of three percentage points. It had a 6-point margin of error for the views of Republicans and Democrats.

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