President Donald Trump's approval rating among midterm voters has cratered to 38 percent, according to early CBS News exit polls, a figure that trails every presidential midterm performance in modern memory and signals a punishing night for the GOP.
The number is a stark drop from the 46 percent approval Trump recorded in the 2018 midterms, and it falls below the 43 percent George W. Bush managed in 2006—a cycle that cost Republicans control of both chambers. It also lags the midterm showings of Barack Obama (45 percent in 2010) and Bill Clinton (44 percent in 1994), both of whom saw their parties lose the House.
The survey found that 59 percent of respondents said Trump factored into their House vote, underscoring his centrality to the election. But the mood of the electorate is decidedly grim: only 7 percent said they feel enthusiastic about the country's direction, 19 percent are satisfied, 37 percent are dissatisfied, and a striking 38 percent are angry.
That anger appears to be driving a broad repudiation of the president and his party. Six in ten voters nationally disapproved of Trump's job performance in CNN's preliminary results, with about three-quarters expressing dissatisfaction with the state of the nation. The network's analysts attributed the sour mood to negative views of Trump and persistent concerns over the cost of living.
Trump's approval has been under siege for months as inflation and economic anxiety have dominated the national conversation. The president's focus on personal grievances and his distraction from voter concerns have become a liability for Republican candidates in competitive races.
Party favorability is also in negative territory. The Democratic Party is viewed favorably by 46 percent of voters and unfavorably by 54 percent, while the GOP fares even worse: 41 percent favorable to 59 percent unfavorable. These numbers suggest that while voters are unhappy with the president, they are not flocking to the opposition—rather, they are registering a protest against the status quo.
The midterm landscape has been shaped by a series of high-stakes contests, including a Trump-backed Senate primary in Alabama and open House seats in South Carolina. But the national mood suggests that even the president's endorsement may not be enough to shield Republicans from a wave of discontent.
With polls closing across the country, the early data paints a picture of an electorate that is frustrated, anxious, and ready to punish the party in power. If the exit polls hold, Democrats are poised to take control of the House—and possibly the Senate—while Trump's political standing takes another significant hit.
