Updated
Updated · USA TODAY · Aug 4
Trump Approval Ticks Up 2 Points to 36% as 64% Say US Is on Wrong Track
Updated
Updated · USA TODAY · Aug 4

Trump Approval Ticks Up 2 Points to 36% as 64% Say US Is on Wrong Track

3 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · Aug 4

Summary

  • An Economist/YouGov poll released Aug. 4 put Donald Trump’s job approval at 36%, up from 34% a week earlier but still near historic lows.
  • The same survey found 64% of Americans say the country is heading in the wrong direction, while only 30% say it is generally on the right track.
  • Economic dissatisfaction remains a major drag: 57% said the economy is getting worse, 16% said conditions are improving, and 70% reported gas prices have risen substantially over the past year.
  • AAA listed average U.S. gasoline at $4.08 a gallon on Aug. 4, up from $3.15 a year earlier, reinforcing the cost pressures reflected in the poll.
  • Broader averages still show Trump deeply underwater, with RealClearPolitics at 38.9% approval and 58.5% disapproval, while Democrats hold only a 4-point generic ballot lead.

Insights

What do rising gas prices, debt stress, and a wrong-track mood reveal about why national approval remains so weak?
Is the real story behind Trump’s poll bump not politics, but how fuel costs and household debt shape public confidence?