Trump’s approval rating sinks to new low at 33 percent

Al Jazeera · 🇶🇦 public Qatar · Aug 17, 2026 · 417 words · By Al Jazeera Staff

Presidential Approval Ratings Economic impact of war US-Iran conflict

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What to know about Presidential Approval Ratings

Trump’s approval rating sinks to new low at 33 percent New poll found a majority of US citizens concerned about the US war on Iran.

Claims checked 10

Techniques found 2

Topics 3

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

Trump’s approval rating sinks to new low at 33 percent New poll found a majority of US citizens concerned about the US war on Iran.

Why it matters

The approval rating of United States President Donald Trump has fallen to the lowest level of his presidency, with an overwhelming majority of Americans concerned that the US-Israel war on Iran will last a long time.

Common ground

Just 33 percent of respondents approved of Trump’s job performance, according to the Reuters/Ipsos poll.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Presidential Approval Ratings story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Consumers have seen the price of fuels rise dramatically since the war began in February, with the cost of gasoline [petrol] up nearly a third compared to a year ago, according to the American Automobile Association?
How does this story connect Presidential Approval Ratings with Economic impact of war over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/8/17/trumps-approval-rating-sinks-to-new-…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Name Calling / Labeling 70% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6

info Single Source 2

cancel Disputed 1

help Insufficient Evidence 1

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Claim 1: “Consumers have seen the price of fuels rise dramatically since the war began in February, with the cost of gasoline [petrol] up nearly a third compared to a year ago, according to the American Automobile Association.”

DISPUTED

While sources confirm gas prices rose since the war began, the specific figure 'nearly a third' is contradicted by the New York Times evidence, which states drivers are paying '44 percent more' on average, which is significantly higher than a third (33%).

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web search NEUTRAL — Gas prices have increased since the war in Iran began. Wright was nominated to be Energy Secretary in 2024 and later confirmed by the US Senate in February 2025. He has worked to roll back policies se…
https://www.themirror.com/entertainment/tv/abc-donald-trump-…

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web search NEUTRAL — U.S. gasoline prices rose on Thursday to a national average of about $4.28 a gallon, according to the AAA motor club. Drivers are paying 44 percent more on average for gas than when the war began.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/10/business/oil-middle-east-…

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web search NEUTRAL — She's spent closer to $40 since the Iran war began and pushed up the average U.S. price for a gallon of regular gasoline by $1. Sherman-Shafer, a retired dental office assistant who picks up Uber pass…
https://www.capradio.org/articles/2026/03/30/rising-gasoline…

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Claim 2: “Just 33 percent of respondents approved of Trump’s job performance, according to the Reuters/Ipsos poll.”

CORROBORATED

Three separate web search results explicitly cite a Reuters/Ipsos poll stating that 33 percent of respondents approved of Trump's job performance.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — There has been significant academic and political debate about whether Donald Trump, the 45th and 47th president of the United States, can be considered a fascist according to consensus definitions of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump_and_fascism

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — During and between his terms as president of the United States, Donald Trump has made tens of thousands of false or misleading claims. Fact-checkers at The Washington Post documented 30,573 false or m…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_or_misleading_statements…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Donald Trump's second and current tenure as the president of the United States began upon his inauguration as the 47th president on January 20, 2025. Trump, a Republican, previously served as the 45th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_presidency_of_Donald_Tr…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “The approval rating of United States President Donald Trump has fallen to the lowest level of his presidency”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources, including Reuters and other web search results, confirm that Trump's approval rating has fallen to the lowest level of his presidency/second term.

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web search NEUTRAL — Donald Trump’s net approval rating remains at -26, according to The Economist’s tracker of YouGov polling. On Monday America reignited its war with Iran, striking two rocket launchers on Larak Island,…
https://www.economist.com/interactive/trump-approval-tracker

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web search NEUTRAL — Trump's Approval Rating Drops to 36%, New Second-Term Low. President Donald Trump's job approval rating has slipped to a new second-term low point and is approaching his all-time low of 34%.
https://news.gallup.com/poll/203198/presidential-approval-ra…

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web search NEUTRAL — Silver Bulletin approval ratings for President Trump — and all presidents since Truman.Still, a net approval of -19.5 is far from popular. This far into his first term, Trump was all the way up at -11…
https://www.natesilver.net/p/trump-approval-ratings-nate-sil…

+ 1 more evidence source

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Claim 4: “Trump... initially pledged that the conflict with Iran would take a few weeks.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim is only corroborated by one cross-reference (Daily Maverick). Other search results are irrelevant calculators or unrelated Wikipedia entries about assassination plots.

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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…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — "Trump Always Chickens Out" (TACO) is a pejorative description of the perceived tendency of United States president Donald Trump to make threats, only to later delay or renege on them as a way to incr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_Always_Chickens_Out

+ 4 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “Some 80 percent of Americans, including 87 percent of Democrats and 71 percent of Republicans, think US involvement in Iran “will go on for an extended period of time”, the Reuters/Ipsos poll found.”

CORROBORATED

Three independent web search results report the exact same statistics (80% overall, 87% Democrats, 71% Republicans) from the Reuters/Ipsos poll.

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web search NEUTRAL — Some 80% of Americans, including 87% of Democrats and 71% of Republicans, think US involvement in Iran "will go on for an extended period of time", the Reuters/Ipsos poll found.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2624579/trump-approval-falls-to…

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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…

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web search NEUTRAL — Some 80% of Americans - including 87% of Democrats and 71% of Republicans - think US involvement in Iran "will go on for an extended period of time," the Reuters/Ipsos poll found.
https://www.geo.tv/latest/678018-americans-turn-against-trum…

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Claim 6: “The poll, conducted over the course of four days, found 64 percent of Americans disapproved of how he is handling his job.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources (Sözalt and others) confirm the poll was conducted over four days and found 64 percent disapproval.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Trumpism is the political ideology behind Donald Trump, the 45th and 47th president of the United States, and his political base. It is often used in close conjunction with the Make America Great Agai…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trumpism

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Throughout both of his presidencies, U.S. president Donald Trump has expressed a desire to expand the United States' territory and influence through both land purchases and military means. Trump first…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_expansionism_under_Do…

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “A Politico poll recently showed just a third of self-identified Make America Great Again (MAGA) voters... felt the economic costs of the war with Iran were worth it.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results or cross-references to support the claim about a Politico poll regarding MAGA voters.

info

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

SINGLE SOURCE

This specific statistic is only found in one cross-reference source (Daily Maverick).

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cross reference SUPPORTS — Just 16% said the conflict would likely end in a few weeks.
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-08-17-trump-app…

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Claim 9: “The approval rating is the lowest ever during this term and matches the lowest seen in December 2017 during his first term.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including Reality Tea and a Reuters-based report, confirm the 33% rating matches the lowest point seen in December 2017.

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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 — 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 10: “On Friday, Trump told a rally of supporters that paying “a tiny little bit more for your gasoline” is worth the cost of ensuring “a very evil country,” meaning Iran, could not have a nuclear weapon.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources (TikTok report and a news article) confirm Trump told supporters that paying more for gasoline is worth preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

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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…

+ 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.