{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "bskyPostRef": {
    "cid": "bafyreiesz4npz4luwmdiq2tivn33cmm77uo2npwzkv7yc3rspcoti3tqwq",
    "uri": "at://did:plc:b7afdzqsmwksxypciqnplglk/app.bsky.feed.post/3moiocuqhaov2"
  },
  "coverImage": {
    "$type": "blob",
    "ref": {
      "$link": "bafkreidquqncbhmnfuetrhfp4wg5wxxnfqepuyfdrcpi4haeiethy2zzmi"
    },
    "mimeType": "image/jpeg",
    "size": 58551
  },
  "path": "/2026/06/17/trumps-support-dips-sharply-key-us-states-28811886/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-17T14:25:19.000Z",
  "site": "https://metro.co.uk",
  "tags": [
    "News",
    "US",
    "Donald Trump",
    "US Politics",
    "California",
    "New York",
    "Florida",
    "the White House",
    "Civiqs",
    "Reuters/Ipsos poll",
    "economy",
    "cost of living",
    "Hawaii",
    "Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google\nAdd as preferred source"
  ],
  "textContent": "Donald Trump’s approval ratings remain underwater in most states, according to new polling just released (Picture: AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)\n\nWhen it comes to the polls, Donald Trump has something of a California problem. He has a New York problem too. The thing is, he’s always had those. His newest, though? The president now has a Kentucky problem. And that’s not all.\n\nThe States that the US president has traditionally polled well in – places like Kentucky, Arkansas, Florida and Ohio – those are places that helped fuel Trump’s return to the White House.\n\nYet new polling suggests that support for Trump has weakened in all of these states since the start of his second term. That’s right. Every single one.\n\nFresh figures from polling firm Civiqs show Trump’s approval rating is lower in every state than it was when he returned to office back in January 2025.\n\nKentucky is a case in point. Trump began his second term with a net approval rating of +23 points in The Bluegrass State, but that advantage has now effectively disappeared, leaving the state sitting around break even.\n\nThe president celebrated his 80th birthday as fresh surveys pointed to softening support (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)\n\nThe same pattern can be found elsewhere across Republican America. Wyoming remains Trump’s strongest state and places like North Dakota, South Dakota and West Virginia still give him positive ratings, but the margins are far smaller than they were a year and a half ago.\n\nThat doesn’t mean that all red states have suddenly turned completely against Trump. It does, however, suggest that some of the enthusiasm that greeted his return to power has cooled, even in parts of the country that remain broadly supportive.\n\nThe shifts become even more interesting when attention turns to the states that tend to decide elections.\n\nA drop in Wyoming may grab fewer headlines, but movement in Florida, Pennsylvania or Ohio has far bigger political consequences.\n\nPolling suggests several key battleground states have become more difficult territory for the POTUS (Picture: EPA)\n\n## How has Donald Trump’s approval rating changed?\n\nFlorida has gone from a positive net approval rating of +9 to -13. Ohio has slipped from +8 to -14, while Pennsylvania has moved from -3 to -17.\n\nNevada has fallen from level territory to -20, while North Carolina has dropped from 0 to -15. Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan and Georgia all currently show Trump with negative approval ratings too.\n\nTaken individually, none of those figures spell political disaster for Donald Trump. Together, though, they point in the same direction, with the POTUS now underwater across much of the battleground map.\n\nNational polling suggests the same thing. Most recent surveys place Trump’s approval rating in the high 30s, while disapproval sits close to 60%, leaving him firmly in negative territory overall.\n\nTrump’s strongest support remains concentrated in Republican heartland states (Picture: REUTERS)\n\nSome of his toughest numbers come from younger voters. Among adults aged 18 to 34, just 23% approve of his performance while 71% disapprove, with voters aged 35 to 49 also remaining strongly negative.\n\nIndependent voters appear equally difficult to win over. Current polling shows 31% approving of Trump’s performance compared with 61% who disapprove, helping to explain why several swing states have moved in the same direction.\n\nThere are also signs that cracks may be appearing among voters who once formed part of Trump’s strongest coalition. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found approval among rural Americans has fallen from 60% in early 2025 to 50%.\n\nYounger voters continue to be among the president’s toughest audiences, recent polls show (Picture: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)\n\nThat’s still a relatively strong number compared with many other groups. Even so, a ten-point drop is the sort of thing that political strategists notice very quickly.\n\nThe economy may be part of the explanation. Just 31% of rural respondents approved of Trump’s handling of the economy and cost of living, while 61% disapproved, suggesting that rising prices remain a stubborn political problem.\n\nOther recent polling indicates Democrats currently hold a narrow lead in the battle for Congress. An NBC News survey found 49% of voters backing Democratic control compared with 44% supporting Republicans.\n\nAltogether it’s not great news for the Commander-in-Chief… But it seems unlikely he’ll let another round of negative polls dent his confidence _that_ much (Picture: AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)\n\nNone of this means America’s political map has been turned upside down. Trump’s strongest states are still largely the same states that have backed him for years, while places like Hawaii, Vermont, California and New York remain deeply hostile territory. As one might expect.\n\nWhat’s changed is the amount of breathing space that he has. States that once looked comfortably pro-Trump are now much closer to the line, while several battlegrounds have drifted further into negative territory.\n\nIn state after state, the margins are getting smaller, leaving less room for error as attention slowly starts to shift towards the next major electoral battles.\n\nWhile Trump’s not the sort of man to let what other people think of him concern him too much – these latest figures will hardly come as welcome news to him and his administration.\n\nComment now Comments \nAdd Metro as a Preferred Source on Google\nAdd as preferred source\n",
  "title": "The US states where Trump’s support has fallen furthest since returning to power"
}