--- title: Americans Sour on Trump Over Inflation and the Iran War description: Two new polls show Americans growing deeply pessimistic about the economy and the Iran war, with Trump's approval at its lowest point of his second term. canonical: https://time.com/article/2026/05/18/trump-approval-rating-iran-war-economy/ author: Rebecca Schneid article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-05-18T00:00:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-18T19:44:39.653Z article:section: Politics og:title: Americans Sour on Trump Over Inflation and the Iran War og:description: Two new polls show Americans growing deeply pessimistic about the economy and the Iran war, with Trump's approval at its lowest point of his second term. og:url: https://time.com/article/2026/05/18/trump-approval-rating-iran-war-economy/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte49acda94c59bafb/6a0b69c1c98f002d9abbf664/GettyImages-2275855775.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: GettyImages-2275855775.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Americans Sour on Trump Over Inflation and the Iran War twitter:description: Two new polls show Americans growing deeply pessimistic about the economy and the Iran war, with Trump's approval at its lowest point of his second term. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte49acda94c59bafb/6a0b69c1c98f002d9abbf664/GettyImages-2275855775.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Americans Sour on Trump Over Inflation and the Iran War > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=ba97874e-8c8a-4e16-bb3d-6393d52a6fb5&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1)  by [Rebecca Schneid](https://time.com/author/rebecca-schneid/)  ## Rebecca Schneid Reporter May 18, 2026 12:00 AM UTC  U.S. President Donald Trump speaks in front of the American flag to the press as he departs the White House on May 12, 2026 U.S. President Donald Trump speaks in front of the American flag to the press as he departs the White House on May 12, 2026 Kevin Dietsch—Getty Images  by [Rebecca Schneid](https://time.com/author/rebecca-schneid/)  ## Rebecca Schneid Reporter May 18, 2026 12:00 AM UTC Two new polls show President Donald Trump’s approval ratings sliding as Americans sour on the war in Iran and grow increasingly worried about [inflation](https://time.com/7381496/trump-affordability-economy-inflation-prices/) and the economy. The figures increase the likelihood that Republican candidates will be dragged down by Trump in the upcoming midterm elections, which could grant Democrats control of Congress. Nearly a year and a half into Trump’s second term, a [new _New York Times_/Siena poll](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/05/18/polls/times-siena-national-poll-toplines.html) of 1,507 registered voters released Monday found that 50% would vote for the Democratic candidate in their district if an election occurred today—up from 48% in January and 47% in September of last year. **Read More:** [_Young Voters Are Turning Away From Trump. Here’s Why_](https://time.com/7378792/trump-young-voters-polls/) The _Times_ poll showed that Trump’s approval rating has hit a second-term low of 37%, as a conclusive end to the deeply unpopular war with Iran continues to [elude](https://time.com/article/2026/05/11/us-iran-israel-war-trump-netanyahu-peace-talks-latest/) him. Meanwhile, a [CBS poll](https://assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/cms/prod%5Fcms%5Falt/file/2026/05/17/371228ad-3893-4403-b766-ed2687a1e0e0/cbs%5F20260517%5Fsun.pdf) released Sunday found that 63% of 2,064 voters disapprove of Trump— with 52% _strongly_ disapprove of his performance in office. The drop in approval is particularly stark with certain voting groups who helped deliver his 2024 victory—including Latino voters, independents, and young voters who swung significantly towards Republicans. Yet, the _Times_ poll shows that 71% of Hispanic respondents, 70% of independents and 76% of voters ages 18-29 disapprove of Trump’s job. In the [2024 election,](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2025/06/26/voting-patterns-in-the-2024-election/) Trump won 48% of the Hispanic vote, 48% of the independent vote, and 39% of the 18-29 vote. Gas prices surged and inflation has [accelerated](https://time.com/article/2026/05/13/inflation-gas-prices-food-tariffs-trump/) in the months since the war began on Feb. 28, with consumer prices reaching three-year high of 3.8% by the end of April, according to the [Consumer Price Index](https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm) on May 12\. AverageU.S. gas prices have risen to around $4.50 per gallon. Americans in the survey report being hit hard by inflation and deeply worried about the economy. Both polls were conducted last week as Trump came under fire for telling reporters that Americans’ [economic](https://time.com/article/2026/05/13/trump-economy-financial-concerns-us-pentagon-iran-war-cost/) pain is not his concern when it comes to the war with Iran— “not even a little bit.” “I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing: We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all,” he told reporters on May 13. In 2024, Trump ran—and won—on his affordability policies and his [promise](https://www.c-span.org/program/campaign-2024/former-president-trump-campaigns-in-pittsburgh/651528) that a vote for him would mean lower grocery bills. While presidential approval ratings are usually an indicator of how well the party will do in midterms, the polls showed frustration with Democrats too—only 26% of the _Times_ poll’s respondents said they were satisfied with the party. Here are the issues most affecting Trump’s support among voters. ## **The war in Iran is deeply unpopular** The CBS poll found that 66% of respondents disapprove of the way Trump is handling the situation with Iran, and 61% disapprove of all military action against it. Sixty-eight percent say that the Trump Administration has not clearly stated its goals in Iran, and the majority of respondents don’t seem to believe that the war has helped U.S. economic interests. More respondents believe it has helped the U.S.’s military and strategic interests. Republicans approve of Trump’s handling of the war with a whopping 79%, but 96% of Democrats disapprove. Congress came [closer](https://time.com/article/2026/05/13/iran-war-vote-senate-murkowski-closest-vote-yet/) than it had previously to passing a congressional War Powers Resolution last week that would rein in Trump’s ability to continue the war with Iran, with three Republican senators breaking with their party to vote for the measure. Similarly, the New York _Times_ poll found that 63% of voters — including 27% of Republicans — believe the president should not be able to use military force unless it is approved by Congress. Only 40% of respondents in the _Times_ poll believe that the war will be either somewhat or very successful at eliminating Iran’s nuclear program, while 50% believe it will be unsuccessful. If the U.S. cannot soon reach a deal to eliminate the country’s nuclear program, 52% say that the U.S. should not resume military action. Months after Trump [authorized the U.S. military](https://time.com/7345070/trump-venezuela-takeaways/) to capture and remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a military raid, 70% of _Times_ respondents also said it was not justified to use military force to overthrow hostile governments unless they pose an “immediate threat.” ## **Trump is facing his worst approval ratings on the economy in his second term** Both polls reflect Americans' growing economic anxiety as[ gas prices](https://time.com/article/2026/05/12/federal-gas-tax-pause-holiday/) and grocery prices continue to surge. The [closure of the Strait of Hormuz](https://time.com/article/2026/04/05/strait-of-hormuz-fuel-rationing-oil/), the Trump Administration’s [tariff](https://time.com/article/2026/04/20/trump-administration-begins-refunding-tariffs-what-you-need-to-know/) regime, and fragile [supply chains](https://time.com/article/2026/05/12/US-ammunition-shortage-iran-war/) have raised [prices](https://time.com/article/2026/05/14/iran-war-energy-crisis-clean-transition/) across the board. According to the CBS poll, 73% of respondents disapprove of the way Trump is handling inflation, and the majority have a deteriorating view of the American economy: 65% characterize the economy as “uncertain” and 63% as “struggling.” Around half of respondents said Trump’s policies will likely make the U.S. economy worse in the long term—and 65% believe it will be worse in the short term. The numbers represent Trump’s worst approval rating on the economy in his second term, a significant shift given it is an issue long seen as his political bedrock. In the _Times_ poll, the number of Americans who describe the U.S. economy as “poor” has risen by 11 percentage points since the start of the year, and while a majority of Republicans —63%— still approve of Trump’s handling of inflation, that number is well down from a 74% approval in March. **Read More:** [_Trump Has Abandoned His Affordability Promises_](https://time.com/article/2026/04/16/trump-has-abandoned-his-affordability-promises/) In their personal finances, 57% said Donald Trump’s policies are making them financially worse off, and 77% say their income is not keeping up with inflation. In the New York Times poll, 44%of voters said his policies had hurt them personally, up from 36% last fall. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/05/18/trump-approval-rating-iran-war-economy/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/05/18/trump-approval-rating-iran-war-economy/"},"headline":"Americans Sour on Trump Over Inflation and the Iran War","datePublished":"2026-05-18T00:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-18T19:44:39.653Z","description":"Two new polls show Americans growing deeply pessimistic about the economy and the Iran war, with Trump's approval at its lowest point of his second term.","url":"https://time.com/article/2026/05/18/trump-approval-rating-iran-war-economy/","keywords":["Donald Trump","Polls","Poll","Polling","Iran","Economy","inflation","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte49acda94c59bafb/6a0b69c1c98f002d9abbf664/GettyImages-2275855775.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rebecca Schneid","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/rebecca-schneid/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte49acda94c59bafb/6a0b69c1c98f002d9abbf664/GettyImages-2275855775.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"GettyImages-2275855775.jpg","caption":"","creditText":"Kevin Dietsch—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/donald-trump/","name":"Donald Trump"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/05/18/trump-approval-rating-iran-war-economy/","name":"Americans Sour on Trump Over Inflation and the Iran War"}}]}] ```