Deportations, Russia: Trump's approval rating sinks to presidency's lowest point

U.S. President Donald Trump's approval rating held steady at 40% in recent weeks, matching the lowest point of his current term, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed on August 18.  

The six-day national poll was conducted as Trump faces signs of a weakening labour market, mounting criticism of his immigration crackdown, and scrutiny over his diplomacy with Russia and Ukraine.  

The survey showed Trump’s approval rating has dropped 7 percentage points since his return to the White House in January, when 47% of Americans backed his presidency.  

Hispanic voters, a bloc that leaned toward Trump in last year’s election, have shown declining support. Just 32% approved of his performance, matching their lowest level of the year.  

More than half of respondents - 54%, including one in five Republicans - said Trump was too closely aligned with Russia, even as he intensified efforts to broker a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv. Trump has indicated that Ukraine would need to cede territory to Russia to end the war.  

On Friday, Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, and the poll wrapped up just before his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday.  

The poll also found limited support for Trump’s policies on crime and immigration. Just 42% approved of his handling of crime, while 43% backed his immigration policies.  

Trump has pursued a sweeping crackdown on undocumented immigrants since January, deploying masked federal agents to carry out arrests and deportations nationwide. The move triggered mass protests in cities such as Los Angeles, where about half the population identifies as Latino.  

More recently, Trump ordered federal agents and National Guard troops to aid law enforcement in Washington, DC. While violent crime spiked in 2023, data shows it has since been falling.  

The poll surveyed 4,446 U.S. adults nationwide online and has a margin of error of about 2 percentage points.  

(With inputs from Reuters)