President Donald Trump’s disapproval rating has climbed to the highest level across both of his nonconsecutive terms in office, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS, as public frustration over the economy and inflation continues to mount ahead of the November midterm elections.

Donald Trump’s abysmal approval rating

The survey found Trump’s disapproval rating reached 65 percent, the highest recorded during either of his presidencies, while his approval rating stood at 35 percent. The latest numbers continue a steady upward trend in voter dissatisfaction seen throughout the year.

The poll, conducted from April 30 through May 4 among 1,499 respondents, carries a margin of error of 2.8 percentage points.

Trump’s standing on the economy also fell to its lowest point in either term, according to the survey, amid rising concerns over the cost of living and the ongoing war with Iran. Recent polling has shown weakening support among key voting blocs, including Gen Z and independent voters, creating additional political challenges for the White House and Republicans heading into the midterms.

The poll was released alongside a Bureau of Labor Statistics report showing inflation rose to its highest level during Trump’s presidency.

Loss of goodwill with voters

When Trump returned to office following his 2024 election victory, he held a 47 percent approval rating and a 52 percent disapproval rating. Since then, negative views have steadily increased, with disapproval surpassing 60 percent for the first time late last year.

Separate polling from The Economist/YouGov also found Trump’s net approval rating has remained at a record low of -22 for three consecutive weeks. The latest survey showed 36 percent approving of the president’s performance and 58 percent disapproving.

YouGov’s Allen Houston said in an email to Newsweek, “Trump’s average net approval over the past three weeks of -22 is a record low for his two terms. Trump’s average net approval of -22 over the last three weeks also matches the lowest net approval Joe Biden ever averaged over three consecutive weeks in his term in office.”

White House damage control

White House spokesperson Kush Desai defended the Trump administration’s economic agenda, saying, “President Trump was resoundingly re-elected to the White House precisely because he understood how Americans were left behind by Joe Biden’s economic disaster and restoring prosperity for everyday Americans has accordingly been a Day One priority for this administration.”

“As traffic in the Strait of Hormuz normalizes again, Americans will again see gas prices plummet, real wages grow, inflation cool and trillions in investments continue pouring in,” Desai added.

Donald Trump praises ‘friend’ Xi Jinping during official meeting in China

President Donald Trump called it an “honor” to be Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s friend on the first night of a two-day state visit to China.

“You and I have known each other now for a long time,” he said on May 14. “In fact, the longest relationship of our two countries that any president and president has had, and that’s, to me, an honor.”

The statement came as part of a dinner where the pair heaped pleasantries on each other, a stark difference from earlier in Trump’s second term when he levied steep tariffs on Chinese goods.

“We’ve had a fantastic relationship,” Trump said to Xi. “We’ve gotten along. When there were difficulties, we worked it out. I would call you, and you would call me. And whenever we had a problem, people don’t know, whenever we had a problem, we worked it out very quickly. And we’re going to have a fantastic future together. Such respect for China, the job you’ve done.”

Trump, 79, then dipped into his typical vague hyperbole to describe his upcoming meeting with Xi.

“I really look very much forward to our discussion. It’s a big discussion,” he said. “There are those that say this is maybe the biggest summit ever. They can never remember anything like it. It’s, I can say in the United States, it’s– people aren’t talking about anything else. But it’s an honor to be with you. It’s an honor to be your friend. And the relationship between China and the USA is going to be better than ever before.”

Xi also was congenial with Trump, though his remarks focused more on the relationship between the two nations rather than the two men.