Five trends in Trump’s approval rating

President Donald Trump began his second term with the highest approval rating of his political career.

Now, his approval rating is at around an all-time low.

Below are five charts on ways Trump’s approval rating has changed since he entered office.

1. Record high to record low. Trump’s approval rating started out in the low 50s, higher than at any point in his first administration. Now, it’s in the mid to high 30s.

2. The cost of living is a key weakness. While immigration and crime are relative strengths for Trump, the cost of living – the most important issue of the midterms – is a weakness for the president.

3. Broad decline. Trump’s approval rating has seen a consistent decline across education, income, ethnicity, and age.

4. Among Republicans, Trump’s strength of approval declines. A large majority of Republicans continue to approve of Trump’s job performance. However, in a major change since the start of his presidency, far fewer strongly approve of the president.

5. Support from young Republicans declines. Among Republicans, the steepest decline in support has come from young Republicans.

With the midterms coming in just a few weeks, Trump’s approval rating leave the Republican Party in a tricky spot. That’s especially true in a midterm environment where most voters view the election as a referendum on the president (at least partly – voters still view local candidate quality as a more important factor in their vote).

In the longer term, presidents with low approval ratings leave their successor with a weaker starting point. It will also be worth watching whether this decreased Republican intensity of support translates into a broader decline in GOP support or if it is a temporary reaction to the war in Iran. Watch this space.