Trump’s approval rating in NC is at its lowest level yet in new poll | Opinion
President Donald Trump’s approval rating is at its lowest level yet in North Carolina, a state he won by 3 percentage points in 2024, a new poll shows.
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The poll from Elon University, conducted in August, found that just 31% of North Carolinians approve of the job that Trump is doing as president.
It’s the lowest approval rating recorded by the Elon poll since Trump took office in January 2025, and data suggests it may be among the lowest approval ratings in recent history for a president in North Carolina. Trump’s disapproval rating is 54%, giving him a net approval rating of -23. Just a month ago, in another Elon poll, Trump’s net approval rating in North Carolina was -18.
The drop in approval rating is in part driven by growing dissatisfaction even among Republicans. Between July and August, Trump’s approval rating with Republican voters fell from 82% to 77%, according to polls. It’s the only group for which Trump’s approval rating is above 50%, as he is underwater with voters of every race, gender and age group.
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Trump’s low approval rating may explain why U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley, a staunch Trump ally, is struggling to catch up to his opponent, former Gov. Roy Cooper. In both July and August, Cooper maintained an 11% lead over Whatley, Elon’s polling shows.
Nationally, Trump’s approval rating is also hitting record lows, with the most recent polls putting it at around 33%. It’s certainly not the spot Republicans want to be in just 54 days before Election Day, and five weeks before early voting begins in North Carolina.
Deputy Opinion Editor Paige Masten covers politics and the 2026 elections for The Charlotte Observer and The News & Observer.
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