Trump in 'free fall' as a 'core voting block' ditches him more and more

President Donald Trump returns to the White House, after Israel and the U.S. launched strikes on Iran, in Washington, D.C., March 1, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard

President Donald Trump got further bad news to start off the week as a new poll found his economic approval in "freefall," per a report from Axios, with a "core voting block" vital to the GOP's midterm odds continuing to ditch him in droves.

On Monday, the New York Times and Siena College released their latest polling results for Trump's overall job performance, revealing a drop to the lowest levels yet for his second term. For his overall job performance, only 37 percent of respondents said that they approved, a drop of 3 points since the last poll from January. Things were similarly dire on economic issues, which poll after poll has shown to be the biggest issues on the minds of voters heading into November.

"Roughly 64 percent of voters disapprove of Trump's handling of the economy, and 69 percent disapprove of how the president is managing issues over cost-of-living," Axios explained. "That tracks with a Sunday poll from CBS News, where 65 percent say Trump's policies are making the economy worse in the short term. And among Republicans, 37 percent now disapprove of the president's handling of inflation, up 11 points since March."

The report noted that while Republicans are still largely on Trump's side, independents are souring on him in growing numbers. In Monday's poll, 69 percent of them said that they disapproved of his job performance. That number outpaced the overall rating, having surged from 62 percent in the January poll.

In their report, Axios described independents as a "core voting block," who played a pivotal role in helping Trump retake the White House. Grabbing these non-partisan voters is key for any party looking to succeed electorally, and Trump's increasingly toxic standing with them appears to be putting the GOP in an even tighter bind for the upcoming midterms, in which they have already been expected to eat huge losses.

These bruising economic approval numbers were once driven by tariffs, but now, the Iran war is costing Trump heavily.

"Polling trends show that Trump is paying the price for the Iran war," Axios explained. "Sixty-five percent of voters disapprove of how Trump is handling the war, and fewer than a quarter say the conflict has been worth its $29 billion (and counting) price tag, per the NYT. And 64 percent of Americans say going to war with Iran was the wrong decision, including 73 percent of independents."

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