David Charter: Trump's approval plunges

David Charter appeared in a Times News YouTube video published on May 18 saying President Donald Trump’s approval ratings were falling as the Iran war and higher fuel costs weighed on public opinion. The video, titled “Trump’s Approval Rating Plunges As Iran War Backfires,” was posted to YouTube by Times News and identifies Charter as The Times’s assistant U.S. editor. In the clip description, Charter says Americans are “increasingly frustrated with the Iran conflict and soaring fuel prices.” The description also says 64% believe going to war with Iran was the wrong decision. ### What exactly did David Charter say in the video posting? The May 18 YouTube posting says Charter made the remarks while speaking to Kait Borsay on Times Radio. The publicly visible description quotes him saying, “I don’t think Trump will keep kicking the can down the road,” and says Trump’s approval ratings are “falling sharply” as frustration rises over Iran and gasoline prices. The same posting says the video had been viewed more than 2,300 times when captured by the web tool. (youtube.com) Times News did not provide a full transcript in the material surfaced here, so the clearest verified details are the video title, the publication date, the named participants and the quoted lines in the description. The framing in the title links Trump’s approval decline directly to backlash over the Iran war. ### Which polling numbers line up with that framing? A New York Times/Siena poll released May 18 found Trump’s approval rating at 37%, which Siena described as down to 37% with majorities disapproving of his handling of the economy, cost of living, Iran war and immigration. (youtube.com) Siena’s release said 64% viewed the war with Iran as the wrong decision and 55% said it was not worth the costs. The poll surveyed 1,507 registered voters from May 11 to May 15. A Reuters/Ipsos poll completed May 11 put Trump’s approval at 36%, up from a late-April low of 34% but still below the roughly 40% level Reuters said he held before the war began on Feb. 28. That poll found 66% said Trump had not clearly explained the goals of U.S. military involvement in Iran. (sri.siena.edu) A CBS News poll released May 17 also found Trump at 37% approval and 63% disapproval, according to reporting cited by TIME. TIME said the same poll showed rising public anxiety over inflation, gas prices and the war. ### How much of the drop is tied to prices and the war? Reuters reported on May 11 that the conflict, which it said began on Feb. 28, had driven about a 50% increase in gasoline prices nationwide. (militarytimes.com) The same poll found that 63% said their household finances had been hurt by recent gas-price increases, and three-quarters said Trump’s administration bore at least some responsibility for the surge. (time.com) TIME reported on May 17 that average U.S. gas prices had risen to about $4.50 a gallon and that consumer prices reached 3.8% by the end of April, citing the Consumer Price Index on May 12. TIME also quoted Trump telling reporters on May 13, “I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing: We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all.” (militarytimes.com) ### Which voters are moving most in these polls? TIME reported that the New York Times/Siena poll showed especially high disapproval among groups that helped Trump in 2024. It said 71% of Hispanic respondents, 70% of independents and 76% of voters ages 18 to 29 disapproved of Trump’s job performance. The Reuters/Ipsos polling also showed erosion inside Trump’s coalition. (time.com) Reuters said one in three Republicans in its survey said Trump had not clearly explained the war’s goals, and half of Republicans said the administration bore at least some blame for higher gas prices. ### Where can readers check the source material next? (time.com) The May 18 video remains on the Times News YouTube channel under the title “Trump’s Approval Rating Plunges As Iran War Backfires,” and the New York Times/Siena toplines are dated May 19, 2026. Reuters/Ipsos fielded its poll from May 8 to May 11, while CBS News surveyed U.S. adults from May 13 to May 15. (youtube.com) (militarytimes.com)