Trump approval falls to 33%, lowest of his presidency, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

Daily Maverick · 🇿🇦 public South Africa · Aug 17, 2026 · 288 words · By Reuters

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What to know about Trump approval falls to 33%, lowest of his presidency, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

By Jason Lange Just 33% of respondents in the four-day survey said they approved of Trump's performance in the White House, while 64% disapproved.

Claims checked 9

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center100%

Right0%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

By Jason Lange Just 33% of respondents in the four-day survey said they approved of Trump's performance in the White House, while 64% disapproved.

Why it matters

Trump's approval rating, down from 35% in a poll that closed earlier this month and lower than at any point in his current term, has now tied the lowest level of his prior term reached in December 2017.

Common ground

After returning to the White House last year with just under half the country approving of his presidency, Trump's popularity this year took a hit after he ordered strikes on Iran alongside U.S.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Trump approval falls to 33%, lowest of his presidency, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Iran... has kept the oil trade through the Strait of Hormuz largely bottled up?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-08-17-trump-approval-falls-to-33-lo…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 7

help Insufficient Evidence 1

verified Verified By Reference 1

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Claim 1: “Iran... has kept the oil trade through the Strait of Hormuz largely bottled up”

CORROBORATED

Web search results regarding the 2026 Iran war state that transportation through the Strait of Hormuz 'continued to move at a trickle,' confirming it was largely bottled up.

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web search NEUTRAL — The Strait of Hormuz, situated between Oman and Iran, serves as a critical maritime route connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. Given the substantial volumes of oil th…
https://www.econovis.net/insights/hormuz-strait-tension

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web search NEUTRAL — The Strait of Hormuz, through which an average of 20 million barrels per day (mb/d) of crude oil and oil products were shipped in 2025, is one of the world's most critical oil transit chokepoints.
https://www.iea.org/about/oil-security-and-emergency-respons…

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web search NEUTRAL — Moments later, Iranian officials confirmed that Khamenei had approved the ceasefire after a last-minute nudge by China. Transportation through the Strait of Hormuz continued to move at a trickle and r…
https://www.britannica.com/event/2026-Iran-war

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Claim 2: “Just 33% of respondents in the four-day survey said they approved of Trump's performance in the White House, while 64% disapproved.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources (Reuters/Ipsos, Common Dreams) confirm the 33% approval rating from the poll.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — At 80 years old, Donald Trump, the 45th and 47th president of the United States, became the oldest person in American history to become president upon his second inauguration in 2025. In July 2024, fi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_and_health_concerns_about_…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On August 24, 2023, a mug shot of Donald Trump, then a former president of the United States who went on to win the 2024 presidential election, was taken at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, Georgia.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mug_shot_of_Donald_Trump

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Donald Trump has been the target of numerous assassination attempts and death threats during his presidential campaigning and his presidencies of the United States of America. The earliest known attem…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_incidents_involving_D…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “Trump's approval rating, down from 35% in a poll that closed earlier this month and lower than at any point in his current term, has now tied the lowest level of his prior term reached in December 2017.”

CORROBORATED

The claim that approval fell to 33%, down from 35%, and tied the lowest level of his prior term (December 2017) is explicitly reported by SAMAA TV and other web results.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Trump family is a wealthy American family. The best-known member is patriarch Donald Trump, the 45th and current 47th president of the United States (2017–2021, 2025–present). The Trumps are of G…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_family

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Donald Trump's use of social media attracted worldwide attention since he joined Twitter (now X) in March 2009. Over nearly twelve years, Trump tweeted around 57,000 times, including about 8,000 times…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Use_of_X_by_Donald_Trump

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 4: “Some 80% of Americans - including 87% of Democrats and 71% of Republicans - think U.S. involvement in Iran "will go on for an extended period of time," the Reuters/Ipsos poll found.”

CORROBORATED

The specific statistics (80% overall, 87% Democrats, 71% Republicans) are reported by multiple independent sources including Türkiye Today and National Security Journal, citing the Reuters/Ipsos poll.

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web search NEUTRAL — Jul 6, 2009 · It consists of double pedastal duncan phyfe dining table, six chairs (five straight and one arm chair), buffet and china cabinet. It is constructed of exqisite red mahogany and all drawe…
http://www.jlaforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=8695639

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web search NEUTRAL — Jul 20, 2014 · We are offering this Solid Hardrock Maple Pennsbury Manor China Cabinet by Garrison. It is a solid piece of furniture. It is in two pieces for ease of transport. The cabinet has two gla…
http://www.jlaforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=280216628

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web search NEUTRAL — Support and general discussion about Compaq systems and related technology
http://www.jlaforums.com/viewforum.php?f=4

help

Claim 5: “The Reuters/Ipsos poll, which was conducted online, gathered responses from 1,166 U.S. adults nationwide and had a margin of error of 3 percentage points in either direction.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to verify the specific sample size (1,166) or the margin of error (+/- 3 percentage points) for the poll.

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Claim 6: “Trump... initially pledged the conflict with Iran would take a few weeks”

CORROBORATED

The Korea Times explicitly reports that 'Trump said his war with Iran would last weeks,' while it has actually reached the six-month mark.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In 2025 and 2026, Iran and the United States began a series of negotiations aimed at reaching a nuclear peace agreement, following a letter from US president Donald Trump to Iranian supreme leader Ali…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025–2026_Iran–United_States_n…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On July 9, 2026, The Wall Street Journal published a report based on intelligence provided by Israel indicating that Iran planned to assassinate United States President Donald Trump in Ankara, Turkey.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_alleged_Iranian_plot_to_a…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — There have been multiple alleged Iranian attempts to assassinate United States president Donald Trump. U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies have tracked evidence for years of Iranian efforts…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alleged_Iranian_attempts_to_as…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “The ensuing conflict paralyzed a fifth of the global oil trade, triggering a surge in the price of gasoline”

CORROBORATED

Web results from 'Deep State Tribunal' and reports on oil prices hitting $100+ a barrel corroborate that Iran paralyzed 20% of global crude oil flows and caused price surges.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Since 28 February 2026, the United States and Israel have been at war with Iran and its regional allies. Hostilities broke out after US–Israeli airstrikes killed several Iranian officials, including S…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Iran_war

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Iran–Israel conflict is a long-standing geopolitical and military confrontation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the State of Israel, involving proxy hostilities since 1985 and direct clas…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran–Israel_conflict

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This timeline of the 2026 Iran war covers the period since 28 February 2026.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_2026_Iran_war

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 8: “Just 16% said the conflict would likely end in a few weeks.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources (Türkiye Today, National Security Journal, Reuters/Ipsos) confirm that 16% of respondents believed the conflict would end in a few weeks.

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web search NEUTRAL — According to Reuters, 80 percent of Americans, including 87 percent of Democrats and 71 percent of Republicans, believe that the Iran War “will go on for an extended period of time.” Just 16 percent o…
https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/donald-trumps-poll-numbe…

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web search NEUTRAL — Just 16% said the conflict would likely end in a few weeks.Reuters/Ipsos polling this month has shown voters prefer Democrats over Republicans as better stewards of the economy for the first time in a…
https://www.themorning.lk/articles/ed4gRfyvaB3IkAkVGUUZ

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web search NEUTRAL — Some 80% of Americans, including 87% of Democrats and 71% of Republicans, think U.S. involvement in Iran "will go on for an extended period of time," according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that concluded M…
https://www.turkiyetoday.com/world/80-of-americans-expect-ir…

verified

Claim 9: “After returning to the White House last year with just under half the country approving of his presidency, Trump's popularity this year took a hit after he ordered strikes on Iran alongside U.S. ally Israel.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia confirms that the US and Israel have been at war with Iran since February 28, 2026, following US-Israeli airstrikes that killed Iranian officials.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 8 April 2026, the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire in the 2026 Iran war, mediated by Pakistan. Iran had rejected the draft proposal for a 45-day two-phase ceasefire framework i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Iran_war_ceasefire

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+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.