President Donald Trump is not having a great time in the polls right now. A new national survey shows him hitting new lows, and with the midterm elections just around the corner, that's not exactly the kind of headline any party wants to see.

New Trump Poll

The latest Emerson College poll puts Trump's approval rating at 39% and his disapproval rating at 58%. Both numbers moved in the wrong direction for the president compared to the August poll, when his approval sat at 40% and disapproval at 56%.

That 58% disapproval mark is the highest for Trump in the Emerson College poll during his second presidential term, and the 39% approval ties his worst showing in the same survey.

Voters were also asked a simple question: has Trump done better than expected, worse than expected, or about as expected in his second term? Only 26% said he's done better than expected. The majority, 56%, said he's done worse than expected, while 18% said he's done about as expected.

The partisan split is about what you'd guess. Among Democrats, 8% said better than expected, 9% said about as expected, and 82% said worse than expected. Republicans were more divided than you might think: a narrow majority of 51% said Trump has done better than expected, 29% said about as expected, and 20% said worse than expected.

Independent voters, often the ones who decide elections, were pretty sour on the president. Just 20% said he's done better than expected, 15% said about as expected, and 66% said he's done worse than expected.

Economy Gets Worse

Here's where things get interesting for anyone watching markets. The State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY), which tracks the S&P 500, may be up more than 12% year-to-date in 2026, but many voters think the economy is getting worse. That disconnect could be a signal of a K-shaped economy, where those with high income and exposure to stocks are doing well, and those who are low income and may not own stocks are doing worse.

In the poll, 60% of voters said Trump's economic policies are making the economy worse. Twenty-eight percent said Trump is making the economy better. Several months ago, the amount of voters who thought Trump's policies were making the economy worse was under the 50% threshold at 49%. That figure has soared in recent months.

The economy remained the top concern for voters in the poll at 41%, with threats to democracy and immigration ranking second and third at 17% and 13%, respectively.

2026 Midterm Elections

With the midterm election only six weeks away, voters were asked about voting in the upcoming election.

The majority at 71% said they are very excited to vote in the 2026 midterm elections, with 20% saying they were somewhat excited, 7% said not too excited and 3% said not at all excited.

Among political groups, the Republican voters were the least likely to select very excited with 66% selecting that option, compared to 78% of Democrats and 70% of Independents.

The poll found congressional Democrats having an 11-point lead of 53% to 42% for the generic 2026 midterm elections, tied for the highest support for the Democrats and for the highest point lead.