New poll reveals historic divide in Trump approval rating. Where do voters stand?

Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald on Aug 26, 2025

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Republicans and Democrats have never been more divided when it comes to how they view the president, according to the latest Gallup poll.

The survey — which sampled 1,094 U.S. adults Aug. 1-20 — comes seven months into President Donald Trump’s second term, during which time he’s made a number of major policy changes.

He’s cracked down on illegal immigration, slapped tariffs on most foreign imports and signed into law a sweeping spending bill, dubbed the “Big, Beautiful Bill.”

He’s also struggled in his efforts to end the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, while becoming embroiled in controversy over how his administration handled the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.

Record partisan gap

In the poll, 93% of Republicans said they approved of Trump’s job performance, while just 1% of Democrats said the same.

This 92-point difference matches the largest-ever partisan divide in presidential approval, which occurred in October 2020, during the end of Trump’s first term. Prior to Trump, no president had ever had a partisan gap larger than 86 points.

Additionally, the 1% of Democrats who approve of Trump is tied with their previous low, measured in June of this year.

Although notably low, this approval level aligns with the 2% of Democrats who supported Trump in both June 2020 and July 2025, and it is comparable to the 3% approval former President George W. Bush received from Democrats during the 2008 financial crisis.

The lowest Republican rating, by comparison, came during several months in 2023 and 2024, when just 2% said they approved of former President Joe Biden’s performance.

Among respondents overall, Trump’s approval rating stood at 40%. This is up from 37% in July, but still down from the more elevated ratings he garnered in the first months in office.

Comparably large partisan gaps also emerged when it came to Trump’s handling of the economy and foreign affairs, according to the poll, which has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.

The vast majority of Republicans, 92%, said they approved of Trump’s handling of foreign affairs, while just 3% of Democrats said the same.

Similarly, 93% of GOP respondents said they approved of the president’s job performance on the economy, while 4% of Democrats said the same.

Among respondents overall, Trump garnered a 39% approval rating on foreign affairs and a 37% rating on the economy.

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