Trump's approval rating plummets to new low ahead of critical midterms: 'More work to do'

President Donald Trump's approval rating has plummeted to a record low during his second term in office and is now tied for his lowest approval rating ever as commander in chief, according to a new poll.

Only 33% of those surveyed in a new Reuters/Ipsos poll approve of the 45th and 47th president's job in the White House. The rating is down from 35% last week. A survey of 1,166 respondents showed that 64% disapproved of Trump's job performance.

Trump hit 33% approval in December 2017, his lowest during his first term in office, according to Reuters/Ipsos.

President Donald Trump arrives to deliver remarks at the David S. Mack Center for Training and Intelligence Aug. 14, 2026, in Garden City, N.Y. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

FOX NEWS POLL: AS ECONOMIC PAIN DEEPENS, DISAPPROVAL OF TRUMP HITS NEW HIGH

Meanwhile, 80% of survey respondents said they expect the war in Iran "will go on for an extended period of time."

The war began in February and was explained to Americans as a mission to wipe out the Middle Eastern country's nuclear weapons program. Iranian attempts to assert dominance over the Strait of Hormuz have complicated matters.

One fifth of the world's oil traverses the Strait, and the effects have been felt at the pump.

LAWMAKERS CLASH OVER TRUMP GAS TAX HOLIDAY AS IRAN WAR DRIVES PRICES HIGHER

Since the war began, national average gas prices have jumped from just under $3 per gallon to just over $4 per gallon, according to American Automobile Association (AAA) data. On Friday, at a rally with law enforcement in New York touting record low crime rates, Trump defended the jump in prices at the pump.

Ships are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz Aug. 10, 2026, off the coast of Bandar Abbas, Iran. (Ali Saeedi/Getty Images)

"Remember that when you have to pay a little bit more, $4, it’s OK," he said, adding that he did "the right thing," and saying, "I'll never apologize."

Inflation has also spiked since the beginning of the war. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), year-over-year inflation in February was 2.4%. That number now sits at 3.4%.

TRUMP’S AFFORDABILITY PLAN FACES CONSERVATIVE PUSHBACK AS POCKETBOOK ISSUES LOOM OVER MIDTERMS

"President Trump has signed the largest middle-class tax cuts in history, lowered the cost of prescription drugs, sealed the border, driven violent crime to the lowest level in nearly a century, unleashed an energy revolution and sent Americans’ 401(k)s climbing to record highs," White House spokesperson Olivia Wales told Fox News Digital in response to questions about the polling.

Gas prices at a Mobil gas station in Los Angeles June 22, 2026. Prices have begun to decline after a U.S.-Iran agreement that eased concerns over global oil supplies, though analysts warn relief may be short-lived due to refinery constraints, supply disruptions and higher fuel costs in the state. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

"President Trump is cleaning up Joe Biden’s mess, and there is more work to do, but the United States of America has never been stronger," she continued.

The White House did not comment on whether there is a target date for ending the war.

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Democrats have seized on the war, which only 35% of Americans support, according to Reuters/Ipsos, along with affordability in their attempts to retake the House and Senate in November.