Trump’s approval – A CBS News/YouGov poll shows President Donald Trump’s net approval among white non-college-educated Americans plunging from +36 in February 2025 to −8 in May 2026, reflecting widening dissatisfaction ahead of the 2026 midterms. The drop follows dips during tar
For a voting bloc that helped power Donald Trump’s 2024 win, the honeymoon period is looking increasingly short—and expensive.
In a CBS News/YouGov survey released this week. Trump’s net approval rating among white Americans without a college degree collapsed from +36 points in February 2025 to −8 points in May 2026. The size of the swing is hard to ignore. even as midterm elections draw closer: the poll was conducted May 13 to 15 among 2. 064 adults. with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.7 points. and it lands with Republicans facing real questions about how durable their coalition is.
The slide didn’t start all at once. Trump opened his current term with strong backing among white non-college-educated voters. then began losing ground as early as April 2025. when he introduced tariffs on trading partners amid economic turbulence. Their net approval fell to +14 during that period. Support steadied through the summer and ticked up slightly to +16 by September 2025, but it didn’t last.
By November 2025, during a government shutdown, Trump’s net approval among this group had fallen again to +6. It climbed modestly to +10 in December 2025. Then, in April 2026, it turned negative again to −8 following the outbreak of the U.S.-Israel war against Iran.
The same poll now places Trump’s approval among white non-college-educated adults at −8. The downturn comes as inflation has reached its highest level across either of Trump’s terms in office. according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report. It also follows other signs that Trump’s broader coalition is fraying. An NPR/PBS News/Marist poll found his support among white evangelical Christians dropped five points between January and April. A CNN poll released May 12 put Trump’s overall disapproval rating at 66%, the highest level recorded across his two presidencies.
The numbers matter politically because Republicans currently hold narrow majorities in both chambers. leaving little room for error heading into the 2026 midterms. White non-college-educated voters have been among the GOP’s most reliable blocs in recent election cycles. and sustained losses within that group could threaten Republican control of Congress. In Trump’s first presidency. Republicans lost control of the House in the 2018 midterms—an historical reminder that even changes that start inside one subgroup can end up reshaping entire outcomes.
The White House is pushing back. The Trump administration has dismissed the poll results as temporary fallout from broader geopolitical and economic disruptions. White House spokesperson Kush Desai said Trump was “resoundingly re-elected” because voters believe he understands how Americans were “left behind by Joe Biden’s economic disaster.” Desai acknowledged “short-term disruptions” tied to Operation Epic Fury in Iran. but argued Trump’s agenda of tax cuts. deregulation and expanded energy production will strengthen the economy.
Desai framed the economic path ahead in stark terms: “As traffic in the Strait of Hormuz normalizes again, Americans will again see gas prices plummet, real wages grow, inflation cool and trillions in investments continue pouring in,” he claimed.
For now, the polling suggests the dispute won’t be settled on messaging alone—especially with the midterm clock ticking and a key segment of Trump’s base moving the wrong direction.
Donald Trump CBS News YouGov poll white non-college educated voters net approval rating 2026 midterm elections inflation Kush Desai Operation Epic Fury Strait of Hormuz