Donald Trump’s approval rating has cratered to 36%—matching the kind of numbers that helped sink Joe Biden—and Republicans are staring down what one analyst calls a potential “massive tsunami” in the 2026 midterms. According to The Guardian, the president who swept into office promising to “make America great again” is now being abandoned by the very voters who put him there.
WHAT’S GOING ON: Just 11 months into his second term, Trump has managed to turn a blitzkrieg of executive overreach into a political liability.
His approval is underwater on literally every major issue—crime (43%), foreign affairs (41%), foreign trade (39%), and immigration (37%). Young voters and Latino voters who swung toward Trump in 2024? They’re heading for the exits.
Meanwhile, Republicans are fleeing Congress like it’s on fire. Senators Mitch McConnell, Thom Tillis, Joni Ernst, and Tommy Tuberville have all announced they won’t seek re-election. More than two dozen House Republicans are also calling it quits. (SURPRISE.)
THE DETAILS: The damage is largely self-inflicted. Trump’s tariffs have jacked up prices on everything from groceries to holiday gifts. His deportation campaign has alienated communities across the country. His “one big, beautiful bill”—rebranded as the Working Families Tax Cut Act—strips healthcare from millions while shoveling wealth upward.
And while Americans struggle to afford food, Trump is planning a $400 million ballroom at the White House and tried to accept a $400 million jet from Qatar as a gift.
“This has been a first year that has been much more defined by what he’s doing overseas than what he’s doing at home,” noted Henry Olsen of the Ethics and Public Policy Center to The Guardian.
Translation: Trump’s been too busy cozying up to Putin and shaking down Zelenskyy to address the kitchen-table issues he promised to fix.
BUT BUT BUT: Didn’t Trump win decisively in 2024? Sure. But Trump took every policy mandate and cranked it to eleven—and voters have noticed.
WHY IT MATTERS: Democrats just won governor’s races in Virginia and New Jersey, the New York mayoral race, and a string of other contests. The No Kings protests drew 7 million people in October—the largest civic action in half a century.
Patrick Gaspard, former Obama adviser, puts the odds of Democrats retaking the House at 70%.
BOTTOM LINE: Trump declared himself “saved by God” at his inauguration. Eleven months later, he’s struggling to stay awake in meetings while his party braces for electoral annihilation.
As conservative commentator Charlie Sykes warns, the scarier question may be what a “lame duck” Trump does when he has nothing left to lose.