Aug. 21, 2026Updated Aug. 22, 2026, 2:17 p.m. ET
Amid President Donald Trump’s record-low approval ratings nationally, a new YouGov/Economist projection shows the president’s net job approval is negative in all but three states.
According to The Economist and YouGov, more people disapprove than approve of Trump’s job performance in 47 out of 50 states and in the District of Columbia. The three states where the majority of respondents still approve of the president are Wyoming (+14), Idaho (+9), and West Virginia (+6).
All three went for Trump in the 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections.
The lowest net job approval rating for Trump was in D.C. (-83). The two states that disapprove of the president’s job the most are Maryland and Vermont, both at -50. The three are all historically Democratic strongholds that voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024.
The White House did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment on Friday, Aug. 21.
See map of Trump’s net approval
A historic run
Trump’s negative net approval in most states in the country comes as the president continues to see record-low approval numbers in nationwide polling.
In a new Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Aug. 17, only one in three Americans said they approved of Trump’s job performance, the lowest approval rating the president has seen in Reuters/Ipsos tracking since his return to the White House in 2025.
Trump’s bad polling numbers come as an overwhelming majority of Americans said they were concerned that the war against Iran would continue for an extended period.
In the Aug. 17 poll, 80% of Americans, including 87% of Democrats and 71% of Republicans, believed the U.S. involvement with Iran would continue for an “extended period of time.”
What do polling averages show?
While individual polls vary, major polling averages continue to show Trump in negative territory overall:
USA TODAY’s Kinsey Crowley contributed to this report.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
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