7.31.25
President Donald Trump's approval rating among white voters has slipped to its lowest point, according to a new YouGov/Economist poll. The survey, conducted between July 25-28, puts Trump's approval among white voters at 47 percent, with 49 percent disapproving, putting his net approval rating at -2 points. That is down from last month, when 50 percent approved and 47 percent disapproved. Overall, the poll showed Trump's net approval rating at an all-time low of -15 among all voters, down from -14 last month, making the survey one of several that have recently shown Trump's approval rating at a low for his second term. The decline comes amid growing pessimism about the direction of the country. Just 39 percent of white voters said the U.S. is "getting better," down 2 points from June, while 53 percent believe things are getting worse. 46 percent still say things are getting worse—far more than those who say the economy is getting better or has stayed the same. And perceptions of personal financial well-being deteriorated. Only 16 percent said they are better off financially than a year ago, unchanged from June, but those saying they are worse off rose to 36 percent, up 5 points.
But it's not just the economy that threatens Trump's standing with white voters. Professor William Hall, an adjunct professor of political science and business at Webster University in St. Louis, told Newsweek the handling of the Epstein controversy may be contributing to Trump's declining support. While fluctuations in approval are typical, Hall argues that "what appears to be different in this case" is that the shift may be driven by discontent among White voters—including MAGA supporters—who have long been Trump's most loyal base, but are now showing signs of "dissatisfaction, disagreement, and perhaps even disgust" with Trump's handling of the Epstein files. The survey shows that the newly released Jeffrey Epstein-related findings appear to be weighing on Trump's image among white voters. A majority—56 percent—disapprove of how he has handled the situation. Some 39 percent of white voters believe Trump was involved in crimes connected to Epstein. Over 80 percent support releasing the full Epstein files, and 63 percent believe the government is engaged in a cover-up.