President Donald Trump’s approval rating has changed very little in recent months, while the Democratic Party’s lead over Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections has become smaller, according to a new national poll.
The Emerson College poll, released on August 20, 2026, shows that 39.5% of likely voters approve of the way Trump is doing his job as president. At the same time, 55.8% say they disapprove of his performance.
The numbers are very close to the results from July. In that poll, 39.2% of likely voters approved of Trump, while 56.7% disapproved.
This means Trump’s approval rating has barely moved. His approval increased by only 0.3 percentage points from July to August. His disapproval rating also fell slightly.
Trump Keeps Strong Republican Support
The poll shows that Trump continues to have very strong support among Republican voters.
About 86% of Republican voters surveyed said they approve of the president’s job performance. This strong support has helped keep Trump’s overall approval rating fairly steady.
Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said Trump’s approval rating has stayed fairly stable during the past several months. About two out of every five likely voters approve of his performance.
However, Trump continues to face strong opposition from voters who do not support him. More than half of likely voters in the poll said they disapprove of his job performance.
The results show that the country remains divided over the president.
Democratic Lead Gets Smaller
The poll also looked at the 2026 midterm elections.
The Democratic Party still has an advantage over Republicans when voters are asked which party they would support for Congress. But that advantage has become smaller.
In July, Democrats had an 11.4 percentage point lead over Republicans in the generic congressional ballot.
In the August poll, that lead dropped to 7.7 percentage points.
Democrats are still ahead, but the gap is now much smaller than it was one month earlier.
The change comes as both parties prepare for the November midterm elections. More states have held primary elections since the July poll. These elections have helped decide which candidates will represent the parties in the general election.
Progressive Candidates Get Attention
The Democratic Party has also seen several victories by progressive candidates during the primary season.
Some of these candidates describe themselves as democratic socialists. Their success has created a debate inside the Democratic Party.
Some Democratic leaders and moderates are concerned about whether progressive candidates can win enough support from independent voters and moderate Democrats in November.
The issue could become important as the party prepares for the general election.
A candidate may have strong support among Democratic voters during a primary but still need to attract independent and moderate voters to win a general election.
Support for Democratic Socialists
The Emerson poll also asked voters about the Democratic Socialists of America, or DSA.
About 23.3% of likely voters said they consider themselves supporters of the organization.
Support was much higher among Democrats and younger voters.
According to the poll, 46% of Democrats said they consider themselves DSA supporters. About 30% said they were not supporters, while 25% were unsure.
The poll found that this support is especially strong among younger Democrats.
It is important to note that supporting the ideas of democratic socialism does not always mean someone is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.
For example, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York is a member of the group. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont describes himself as a democratic socialist but is not a member of the DSA.
Economy Is Now the Biggest Concern
The economy is also playing a major role in how Americans view the country.
In the August poll, 36.5% of likely voters said economic issues were the most important problem facing the United States.
These economic concerns include inflation, jobs and taxes.
The economy became a much bigger concern compared with July.
In the July poll, only 27.1% of likely voters said economic issues were the most important issue.
Threats to democracy were the top concern in July, with 28.3% choosing that issue.
In August, threats to democracy fell to second place at 15.8%.
Health care ranked third, with 15.5% of voters saying it was the most important issue.
The change suggests that economic concerns are becoming more important to voters as the midterm elections get closer.
What the Poll Means
The latest poll shows a mixed picture for both political parties.
Trump’s approval rating remains below 40%, with more voters saying they disapprove of his performance than approve of it. However, his numbers have not changed much.
For Democrats, the party continues to lead Republicans on the generic congressional ballot. But the lead has dropped significantly from July.
The results also show that the economy is now the biggest concern for voters. Inflation, jobs and taxes could play an important role in the midterm elections.
The Democratic Party will also have to deal with disagreements between progressive candidates and more moderate members of the party.
With the November elections approaching, both parties will be watching these issues closely.
The poll does not predict the final election results. Voter opinions can change before Election Day. But the August numbers give an important look at where voters stand right now.
For Trump, the biggest challenge remains convincing more voters to support his presidency. For Democrats, the challenge is holding their lead while making sure their candidates can attract enough independent and moderate voters to win in November.