Trump’s record-low 32% approval shows his policies failed workers

By Maya Ellison · Reporting from Detroit · October 6, 2026

As Donald Trump’s approval rating hits a record low, working families are rejecting an agenda that serves the wealthy while bankrupting the poor.

I grew up in Flint, Michigan. I remember the 2008 crash taking the houses on my block. I remember the water turning brown. I know what it looks like when the people at the top treat the people at the bottom as disposable. Today, the numbers are telling that same story. A Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Donald Trump’s approval rating at 32%. This is a record low. It is the sound of working people realizing they were sold a lie.

The bill for the billionaire's club

The American people are not just unhappy. They are broke. According to AP-NORC, 65% of adults say higher-than-usual prices are the result of President Trump’s policies. This economic collapse is a Financial Crisis of 2008 echo, where the powerful profited while my neighbors lost their homes. The most capable defenders of this administration argue that inflation is a global phenomenon. They point to the AP-NORC finding that Republicans believe higher prices are due to factors beyond the president’s control. They would say no one man can stop the tide of global markets.

But this is a lie of omission. It ignores the specific choices Trump made. He chose to launch a war in Iran. He chose to impose tariffs that act as a direct tax on the poor. The current tariffs are a Trump-Mexico trade war repetition, prioritizing optics over the stability of the kitchen table. AP-NORC reports that 69% of the public say Trump's handling of the cost of living has been worse than expected. Even Republicans agree.

While families struggle to buy eggs, the inner circle is cashing in. Look at Jared Kushner. He has operated as a shadow diplomat to secure huge windfalls for foreign autocrats and cronies. He used peace negotiations as a cover for private equity profiteering. Then there is Kristi Noem. On her final morning in office in March 2026, she engineered luxury jet contracts for Daedalus Aviation Corporation. That firm is chaired by William Walters, a 2024 political donor. This is the concentrated interest at work. They treat the treasury like a personal ATM while the working class pays the bill.

A betrayal written in deportation orders

The betrayal is most visible among the people who gave Trump a second chance. Al Jazeera reports that Trump's approval among Hispanic voters fell to 24% in October. This is the lowest point across both of his terms. The betrayal of Hispanic families is a continuation of the Trump administration's immigration policy from his first term. The current deportation of non-criminals is the same Trump administration's immigration policy that once tore apart my community's friends.

Representative Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida put it plainly in a September advertisement. She told Trump that the same Hispanics who helped him get to the White House feel betrayed today. She noted that some immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far. The voters are reacting. An NBC News/Telemundo poll shows 59% of Latino voters prefer a Democratic-controlled Congress. According to Al Jazeera, Hispanic voters plan to vote for Democrats in the November midterms.

The old script of unnecessary wars

Then there is the war in Iran. This is where the pattern becomes a trap. The Iraq War provides the perfect parallel. The shared mechanism is simple: a leader's decision to launch an unnecessary war leads to public disillusionment and a collapse in approval ratings. We saw it in 2003, and we are seeing it now.

The public sees the cost. AP-NORC reports that 71% of adults disapprove of how Trump is handling Iran. Furthermore, 69% of adults say the war in Iran has not been worth fighting. This is not a "both sides" issue. This is a matter of life and death and the waste of public resources.

The political fallout is already hitting the red states. The New Republic reports that Trump has the lowest approval rating in Kansas of any president since Herbert Hoover. This plummeting support is a reflection of the January 6 Capitol attack pattern of ignoring the public's will. The loss of party support mirrors the January 6 Capitol attack, where norms were traded for a cult of personality.

Donald Trump traveled to Nebraska on Monday and claimed, "I’m doing great." He is not doing great. He is presiding over a country where 73% of Americans say the country is heading in the wrong direction. He is presiding over a government that serves Kushner and Noem. Meanwhile, the hardware store owner and the line worker drown in inflation.

The November midterms will be the reckoning. Trump's 32% approval rating and the fury over the cost of living will cost Republicans control of the House and Senate. Once the Democrats hold the gavel, they must launch aggressive investigations into the second-term corruption. We need a full accounting of the luxury jet payouts to William Walters and the foreign policy deals that enriched Jared Kushner. Vulnerable Republican lawmakers will continue to break with Trump on immigration and economics just to save their own seats. The people have had enough of the grift. It is time to pay the bill.

Trump’s record-low 32% approval shows his policies failed workers

The bill for the billionaire's club

A betrayal written in deportation orders

The old script of unnecessary wars

Sources