President Donald Trump’s approval ratings nationally are in the red, but for about half of the states, more people approve of his job peformance.
State legislatures could determine Trump’s political future. Texas’ push to redraw its Congressional map to add more Republican seats has dragged the states into a bit of a standoff, as heavy hitter Democratic states threaten to do the same if Texas moves forward. That’s because Democrats are looking to take back control of the U.S. House in the midterm elections, and doing so would subvert Trump’s efforts for his last two years in office.
While Trump’s approval rating nationally remains historcially low, a look at state-by-state survey results show a more complicated picture. Here is what we know:
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Trump has positive approval rating in 27 states
Trump’s approval rating is above water in 27 states. That is according to an Aug. 12 update from Morning Consult, which gathers polls over the course of three months to get a look at state-level data among registered voters. The number of states is unchanged from July’s update.
Trump is most popular by Morning Consult in Wyoming, where 66% of voters approve of his job performance, and least popular in Vermont, where 64% disapprove of his job performance.
But his approval is net negative in two states with gubernatorial races this fall: New Jersey and Virginia, according to Morning Consult.
In Texas, 53% of voters approve of Trump’s performance while 44% disapprove. In California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom has threatened to counter changes in Texas’ redistricting, 41% approve of Trump’s job peformance while 56% disapprove. California is Trump’s seventh worst rating among the states, according to Morning Consult.
What is Trump’s approval overall?
RealClearPolitics Poll Average shows Trump’s approval rating was becoming more negative throughout the first few weeks of July before buoying toward the end of the month. Aggregated polls by the New York Times show a similar trend.
As of Jan. 27, Trump received a +6.2 percentage point approval rating, but as of March 13, it flipped to slightly negative, the RealClearPolitics graphics show. The approval rating reached its most negative on April 29 at -7.2 percentage points, which fell around Trump’s 100-day mark. It came close to that low again on July 22 and 23 at -7.1 percentage points, as the controversy over Epstein carried into its third week.
His average approval rating margin as of Aug. 12, according to RealClearPolitics, is -5.4 percentage points. The approval margin according to the New York Times aggregator on Aug. 12 is -8 percentage points.
How does Trump’s approval rating compare to previous presidents?
A historical analysis by Gallup shows Trump’s approval ratings in July 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.
In a Gallup poll conducted from July 7-21, 37% approved of Trump’s job performance. Here is how that compares to other presidents in July of their first year of their term, according to Gallup:
Joe Biden (July 2021) – 50% approve
Trump (July 2017) – 38% approve
Barack Obama (July 2009) – 57% approve
George W. Bush (July 2001) – 55% approve
Bill Clinton (July 1993) – 43% approve
George H.W. Bush (July 1989) – 66% approve
Ronald Reagan (July 1981) – 59% approve
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.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump approval ratings best in Wyoming, Vermont is worst
