National Guard move backfiring? Trump's approval rating falls to record second-term low, poll shows

US President Donald Trump has a three-point drop in his approval rating in just a month's time. 

Donald Trump's approval ratings has taken another blow, a new poll shows. The US President's ratings slipped to a record low in his second term, as per the Quinnipiac University poll.

The poll, released earlier this week, saw Trump take a three-point drop in his approval rating in just a month's time. His decision to deploy the National Guard to Washington DC – in an effort to reduce crime – has also seen a 56-41 percent opposition.

Republicans (86 - 12 percent) supported the decision to deploy the National Guard, while Democrats (93 - 5 percent) and independents (61 - 34 percent) opposed it, as per the poll. Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy noted “Posting the National Guard in D.C. to fight local crime gets faint support, with independent voters giving the deployment a big thumbs down.”

Donald Trump's ratings explained

While Trump's decision has not been too well received by people surveyed in this poll, his overall handling of the job as President has not gone down too well either.

Currently, 55 percent people disapprove of the way Trump is handling things the Quinnipiac poll showed. In contrast, in July 40 percent of voters approved while 54 percent disapproved. In the new poll, Republicans (84 - 9 percent) approved of Trump while Democrats (98 - 1 percent) and independents (58 - 31 percent) disapproved.

Voters were asked six questions, to determine how Trump was handling the Presidency. These included his take on crime, talks to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, foreign policy, the US economy, trade, and the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Notably, in the July poll 90 percent Republicans said they approved of how Trump was doing his job, and the fall within his own MAGA base in the new poll shows the impact of Trump's handling of matters. Recent flashpoints include the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein matter. Trump's take on crime has also taken a hit, the poll numbers show, ever since his attempts to impose the military in Democrat-run cities to tackle the matter. While 42 percent approved of how he was going about it, 54 percent disapproved, and 4 percent did not offer an opinion.

The US midterm elections are to take place in 2026 and how the public – both Republicans and Democrats – perceive of Trump could have an impact on the results.