Trump’s Approval Rating Plummets After Murder Scandal

Login to Continue Learning

American satisfaction with how things are going in the U.S. has dropped to its lowest point since President Donald Trump took office, according to a September poll from Gallup. The poll, conducted from Sept. 2-16, found that only 29% of Americans said they were satisfied. Republicans accounted for most of the decline, decreasing from 31% in August to 28%. However, this satisfaction rate is still higher than the 20% seen before Trump’s inauguration in January.

The murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk occurred during the poll period and had a significant impact on public opinion, especially among Republicans. When asked about the “most important problem facing this country,” mentions of crime or violence more than doubled, rising from 3% in August to 8% in September—the highest level since August 2020, and before that, 2002.

While dissatisfaction with the country has increased, Trump’s approval rating remained steady at 40% in September compared to August. According to Gallup, his approval ratings in September of his first years in office are lower than any other modern president during their first year. Here is how his September approval compares to other presidents in September of their first term:

– Joe Biden (September 2021) – 43% approve
– Donald Trump (September 2017) – 37% approve
– Barack Obama (September 2009) – 52% approve
– George W. Bush (September 2001) – 76% approve
– Bill Clinton (September 1993) – 50% approve
– George H.W. Bush (September 1989) – 70% approve
– Ronald Reagan (September 1981) – 52% approve

In a unique start to his ruling against President Donald Trump’s administration on September 30, U.S. District Court Judge William Young included a scanned handwritten note sent to his office. The note read: “Trump has pardons and tanks – what do you have?” At the top of Young’s opinion in AAUP v. Rubio, which ruled that Trump’s effort to deport foreign-born student protesters was unconstitutional.

October 8, 2025

Gallup surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults with a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.

As of Jan. 27, Trump’s approval rating was +6.2 percentage points; by March 13, it had flipped to slightly negative. It reached its most negative point on April 29 at -7.2 percentage points and again on July 22 and 23 at -7.1 percentage points due to the controversy surrounding convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

His average approval rating margin as of Sept. 23, according to RealClearPolitics, is -6.5 percentage points. The New York Times aggregator shows a more negative trend with an approval margin of -11 percentage points on Sept. 23.