2026 U.S. Midterm Elections

Axios reports that three new national surveys conducted in late January and early February 2026 all find more Americans now believe Donald Trump is doing a worse job as president than Joe Biden did, despite Biden having left office deeply unpopular. A Harvard CAPS/Harris poll shows 51% of registered voters say Trump is doing a worse job than Biden, while a Trump‑leaning Rasmussen survey finds 48% of likely voters say Biden did better versus 40% for Trump, and a YouGov/Economist poll has a 46%–40% split the same way. Under the hood, Trump’s standing on his signature issues is deteriorating: NBC polling shows 49% of adults strongly disapprove of his handling of border security and immigration, and CNN’s Harry Enten calculates Trump’s net economic approval is 26 points worse than at this point in his first term and 53 points worse among independents. Young voters’ views have cratered, with Trump now at –42 net approval among 18–29‑year‑olds, and Gallup separately finds only 59.2% of Americans expect to have a high‑quality life in five years, the lowest future‑optimism reading in nearly two decades. The article notes that, even as Republicans maintain a large fundraising edge heading into the 2026 midterms, what was once Trump’s core coalition—non‑college voters—is weakening, raising the risk of a midterm backlash if these trends hold.