Trump approval slump adds to Republican midterm pressure
Gallup finds 89% of Americans perceive widespread government corruption, while Trump’s 32% approval rating adds to Republican midterm risks.
- President Trump's overall approval rating has fallen to 32%, with 64% disapproving of his performance, according to a national survey.
- A record 89% of Americans, including 83% of Republicans, believe government corruption is widespread, the highest level in 20 years of Gallup polling.
- Political criticism has intensified over a new commemorative $1 coin featuring Trump's portrait, which critics argue is being used to promote the president.
- The combination of weak presidential approval, high concern about corruption, and specific controversies like the commemorative coin are creating political difficulties for Republicans ahead of the midterms.
Record concern about corruption in the US government and President Donald Trump’s weak approval rating are adding to the challenges facing Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
A Gallup survey found that 89% of American adults believed corruption was widespread throughout the government, the highest level recorded during the pollster’s 20-year trend and 10 percentage points above the 79% recorded in 2025.
The figure reflects public perceptions rather than proof of misconduct by the Trump administration or any individual official.
The midterms will determine all 435 seats in the House of Representatives, roughly one-third of the Senate and numerous governorships. A loss of either congressional chamber would make it more difficult for Trump to advance his agenda during the second half of his term.
Concern crosses party lines
Gallup found broad agreement among the main political groups that government corruption was widespread:
- Democrats at 91%.
- Independents at 90%.
- Republicans at 83%.
Perceptions of corruption in the business sector also rose to 71%, eight percentage points higher than a year earlier. However, this remained 18 points below the corresponding figure for the government.
Gallup said the gap between perceptions of corruption in government and business was the widest recorded in its US polling trend.
US led OECD comparison in 2025
The United States also stood apart from other advanced economies in Gallup’s most recent complete comparison of the 38 members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
In 2025, 79% of Americans said corruption was widespread in government, compared with an OECD median of 59%. The result placed the United States at the top of the OECD ranking for the first time, ahead of countries that had previously recorded particularly high levels, including Greece, Hungary and the Czech Republic.
The 89% US figure is from 2026. Gallup has not completed its 2026 data collection across every OECD member, meaning it cannot yet be used to establish a final ranking for this year.
Trump dollar coin draws criticism
Political criticism intensified after the US Mint began selling a gold-coloured $1 coin bearing Trump’s portrait as part of commemorations marking the 250th anniversary of American independence.
The product is not a US$100 gold coin. It is a legal-tender US$1 coin offered in two collector packages:
- A roll of 25 coins priced at US$61, compared with a combined face value of US$25.
- A bag of 100 coins priced at US$154.50, compared with a combined face value of US$100.
The roll is therefore priced 144% above its face value, while the bag is priced 54.5% above face value. These figures represent retail premiums and should not be described as profit margins because production and distribution costs have not been disclosed.
Despite its appearance, the coin does not contain gold. Its composition is:
- Copper at 88.5%.
- Zinc at 6%.
- Manganese at 3.5%.
- Nickel at 2%.
Critics accused the administration of using an official commemorative product to promote the president and questioned whether buyers were being charged excessively.
The coin has also prompted legal debate over federal restrictions on depicting a living president on US currency. Critics questioned whether the design complied with those restrictions, while the Treasury maintained that the secretary had authority to approve special coins for the anniversary.
Trump approval falls to 32%
A separate national survey by the University of Massachusetts Amherst put Trump’s overall approval rating at 32%, while 64% disapproved of his performance.
The result represented a one-point decline in approval since March. Support for Trump among Republican respondents had also fallen, although it remained substantially higher than his rating among the wider public.
Economic conditions, inflation, household expenses and dissatisfaction with the Iran war were among the pressures weighing on the administration.
The conflict and its consequences for energy prices have also created wider economic risks.
The polling does not establish that Republicans will lose either chamber of Congress.
However, the combination of weak presidential approval, widespread concern about government corruption and controversy surrounding the commemorative coin highlights the political difficulties facing the party before the midterm vote.
