Trump’s Approval Rating Drops Among Key Voter Demographics
Trump s approval rating drops among white working-class voters as economic concerns mount across rural America. Ashton Reed, a 22-year-old from Jackson, Missouri, cast his ballot for President Donald Trump during the 2024 election cycle, motivated primarily by promises to strengthen the economy and reduce inflation rates. Residents of his community had frequently pointed to the previous administration under Joe Biden as responsible for rising costs. Reed brings experience from both an auto equipment manufacturing facility and a heating and air conditioning business, giving him firsthand insight into how economic policies affect everyday Americans. His perspective has shifted considerably since that election, as prices continue climbing and unexpected challenges emerge.
Economic Pressures Drive Voter Discontent
The recent decline in support reflects broader economic pressures affecting working families. An unexpected conflict emerged in Iran—a situation Trump had pledged to prevent—while Reed expressed discomfort with the administration’s firm approach to immigration enforcement. Several months prior, Reed evaluated health insurance options through the Affordable Care Act for his spouse and found the costs prohibitive. This occurred after congressional Republicans permitted pandemic-era financial assistance to lapse, alongside Trump’s policies. More recently, without a bachelor’s degree, Reed experienced unemployment from his HVAC position.
“A huge chunk of why I voted for him in 2024 was because of economics,” Reed said of Trump. “Obviously not happy with him at all.”
According to PRRI’s post-election analysis, two-thirds of white working-class voters supported Trump in 2024. Pew Research Center exit polls indicated Trump captured 69 percent of rural voters that same year. Recent polling reveals increasing dissatisfaction within these demographics, with majorities expressing disapproval in certain surveys. Economic concerns particularly drive this sentiment, potentially creating vulnerabilities for Republicans before midterm elections that will decide congressional control. A CBS News-YouGov survey conducted in May revealed that 54 percent of white voters without college degrees disapproved of Trump’s performance, compared to just 32 percent in February 2025.
Disapproval reached 49 percent in an NPR/PBS/Marist poll from June and 51 percent in an April Fox News survey. Among rural populations, a June Reuters/Ipsos poll showed 48 percent disapproved of Trump, rising from 34 percent the month following his return to office.
“The decline is significant given that white working-class voters were a pretty stable support between 2016 and 2020 for Trump after trending Republican since the early 1990s,” said Noam Lupu, a Vanderbilt University political science professor.
Experts identify elevated costs for essential items such as gasoline and groceries as the primary catalyst for voter discontent. These increases stem partly from the Iran conflict and implemented tariffs. White House communications director Kush Desai maintained that both inflation and fuel costs will decrease once the Iranian situation stabilizes. The Treasury Department has simultaneously emphasized how tax reductions have benefited American families. Although Trump will not appear on the November ballot, expanding disapproval might negatively impact Republican midterm prospects, according to Lupu.
While American party loyalty tends to remain strong, meaning few such voters will likely transition to Democrats, reduced enthusiasm could suppress turnout among Republicans. Reed, who no longer embraces the MAGA movement for multiple reasons, acknowledged that many in his predominantly conservative Missouri community—situated west of the Mississippi River—remain loyal supporters. Nevertheless, Reed anticipates being among former Trump voters who might “possibly vote for a Democrat for the first time in their lives” during the midterms. In Hazard, Kentucky, a modest Appalachian town once dominated by coal mining, Denver Feltner shared similar optimism when supporting Trump’s comeback. The thirty-eight-year-old father of five holds two positions: as a public safety dispatcher and while serving court documents. Feltner believed Trump managed the economy effectively during his initial term before the pandemic arrived and expected similar results this time around. Rather than reducing living expenses, Feltner’s household grocery expenditures increased substantially, and health insurance premiums quadrupled following the expiration of enhanced ACA premium tax credits last year. This left Feltner without coverage for several months despite existing medical conditions. A Fox News April poll indicated that 38 percent of white, noncollege respondents approved of Trump’s inflation management.
“I was pretty good under his first term, but it’s completely different now,” Feltner noted.
