Trump approval drops to 35%

President Donald Trump entered the week with new signs of political erosion across several fronts. Reuters reported on May 19 that a Reuters/Ipsos poll put his approval rating at 35%, only a point above the 34% low recorded in April. Newsweek separately reported weaker readings on Trump’s economic standing and among millennials, extending a run of poor polling tied to prices and cost-of-living concerns. (newsweek.com) At the same time, the administration opened new political fights by backing a $1.776 billion compensation fund for allies and moving to unwind some drinking-water limits on PFAS chemicals. ### How low is 35% in the new Reuters/Ipsos poll? Reuters said the May 19 Reuters/Ipsos survey found 35% of Americans approved of Trump’s job performance. (townhall.com) Reuters also said that figure was just above the 34% low point recorded a month earlier and that support had softened even among Republicans. Newsweek reported separate signs of weakness beyond the Reuters poll. One article said Trump’s economic approval rating had fallen to a new low as he dismissed higher gasoline prices as “peanuts.” Another said his approval among millennials had slipped to a new second-term low in a YouGov/The Economist poll published Tuesday. (newsweek.com) ### Why are gasoline prices showing up in the political picture? Newsweek reported that Trump described gasoline prices as “peanuts” on Tuesday even as polling showed his economic approval falling. The same report said average gasoline prices were about $4.53 a gallon nationwide. (newsweek.com) The price issue matters because multiple recent Trump polling stories have centered on the economy and cost of living. Newsweek’s recent approval coverage has repeatedly tied weaker numbers to inflation, household costs and dissatisfaction with the president’s handling of the economy. ### What is the $1.776 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund? (newsweek.com) CNN reported on May 19 that Trump’s Justice Department announced a nearly $1.8 billion fund to compensate allies who say they were unfairly targeted by the Biden administration. CNN’s coverage said the fund could include Trump supporters and raised questions about whether Jan. 6 defendants might benefit. (newsweek.com) CNN also reported that Vice President JD Vance would not rule out compensation for Jan. 6 defendants when asked at a White House briefing by Kaitlan Collins. The White House and Justice Department have framed the effort as redress for alleged “weaponization,” while critics have questioned the use of taxpayer money. (newsweek.com) ### What changed on PFAS drinking-water rules? The Trump administration said it would end some limits on PFAS, the chemicals often called “forever chemicals,” in drinking water, according to the source briefing and reporting cited there. Officials had previously said the substances were linked to cancer and other serious health problems. (transcripts.cnn.com) The PFAS move added a separate policy dispute to the White House’s political challenges this week. It put environmental regulation and public-health concerns alongside the administration’s legal and economic fights. (edition.cnn.com) ### Who is preparing the White House midterm strategy? Townhall reported on May 19 that White House Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair is leading an aggressive Republican effort aimed at protecting House control in the 2026 midterms. The report described Blair as a central political enforcer inside Trump’s White House. (eedition.spokesman.com) The 2026 campaign calendar is already shaping how both parties read Trump’s numbers. Reuters’ poll, Newsweek’s economic and generational polling reports, and the White House’s own focus on House control all point to the same near-term test: whether Republicans can contain the political damage before midterm voting begins in 2026. (newsweek.com) (townhall.com) (eedition.spokesman.com)