What is Trump's approval rating? See polls on Venezuela, Epstein
USA TODAY and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article. Pricing and availability subject to change.
What is Trump's approval rating? See polls on Venezuela, Epstein
Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAYJanuary 10, 2026 at 4:41 AM
0
What is Trump's approval rating? See polls on Venezuela, Epstein
Just more than a week into 2026, President Donald Trump is looking ahead to the midterm elections.
He told House Republicans on Jan. 6 that they need to keep the majority to avoid a third impeachment. But polls consistently show Trump's approval rating is underwater, which likely will not be helpful for his party in the voting booths come November.
Trump still isn't shying away from controversy, though. On Jan. 3, U.S. troops captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife in a surprise attack after months of mounting U.S. pressure on the oil-rich country. Though the legality of the move is under intense debate, Trump is also talking about taking over Greenland.
At home, his administration is also under fire after federal immigration agents fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis on Jan. 7, and then the next day another officer shot two people in Portland, Oregon. While the domestic news hit after most recent opinion polls were conducted, here is a look at where Trump's approval rating stands in the wake of the Venezuela intervention.
More: Is Trump facing impeachment? Some longshot initiatives have been started
The United States captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife in an overnight military operation on Jan. 3, 2026, President Donald Trump said, as explosions rocked Caracas and targets across the country.
" style=padding-bottom:56%>Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, pictured here after his capture aboard the USS Iwo Jima, is seen in this handout image posted by U.S. President Donald Trump on Truth Social Jan. 3, 2026. The United States captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife in an overnight military operation on Jan. 3, 2026, President Donald Trump said, as explosions rocked Caracas and targets across the country.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/8ehmqTM_Efph4ZoI3AuUGg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0yODQw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/cf59ea264913da3f34e4e01c69aa6c5e class=caas-img data-headline="US bombs targets in Venezuela and captures Nicolás Maduro" data-caption="
Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, pictured here after his capture aboard the USS Iwo Jima, is seen in this handout image posted by U.S. President Donald Trump on Truth Social Jan. 3, 2026. The United States captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife in an overnight military operation on Jan. 3, 2026, President Donald Trump said, as explosions rocked Caracas and targets across the country.
">Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, pictured here after his capture aboard the USS Iwo Jima, is seen in this handout image posted by U.S. President Donald Trump on Truth Social Jan. 3, 2026. The United States captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife in an overnight military operation on Jan. 3, 2026, President Donald Trump said, as explosions rocked Caracas and targets across the country.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/8ehmqTM_Efph4ZoI3AuUGg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0yODQw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/cf59ea264913da3f34e4e01c69aa6c5e class=caas-img>
1 / 39US bombs targets in Venezuela and captures Nicolás MaduroA still image from video posted by the White House's Rapid Response 47 account on X.com, which originated from the @PaulDMauro account, shows Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro being walked in custody down a hallway at the offices of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in New York City on Jan. 3, 2026.What is Donald Trump's approval rating?
Averages based on RealClearPolitics and New York Times aggregators show Trump's approval rating is net negative, but appears to have rebounded slightly and begun stabilizing after a sharp drop in November.
As of Jan. 27, 2025, 50.5% approved, giving Trump a net positive rating until March 13, when it flipped to net negative with 47.8% approval, compared to 48.5% disapproval, RealClearPolitics graphics show. The approval rating reached its term low of 42.3% on Nov. 14, as the controversy on Jeffrey Epstein's emails heated up following the end of the government shutdown. The following week, his disapproval also ticked up to a term high of 55.6% on Nov. 21. As of Jan. 9, 2026, RealClearPolitics found 44.1% approve and 52.7% disapprove.
The New York Times aggregator showed Trump's approval fell from 52% approval in January 2025 to 44% approval in April, and then mostly held steady for months. According to the Times, Trump's term low is 41% approval, which he first reached on Nov. 12. His disapproval also notched up to 56% on Nov. 19, a high for this term per the aggregator. As of Jan. 9, 2026, 43% approve and 55% disapprove, per the Times.
Economist/YouGov: 49% think Trump is trying to cover Epstein's crimes
In a weekly Economist/YouGov poll conducted Jan. 2-5, 39% approved compared to 56% who disapproved of Trump's job performance. The poll surveyed 1,551 U.S. adult citizens, and the margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
The poll also asked about Trump's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein controversy, which escalated at the end of December when the Department of Justice said it had a long way to go to release all of the files that were due to be published on Dec. 19. According to YouGov, views about Trump and Epstein's connections have changed little in recent months.
The poll found 49% of Americans say Trump is trying to cover up Epstein's crimes, compared to 30% who say he isn't. Overall, just 25% of Americans approve of how Trump is handling the Epstein investigation, compared to 56% who disapprove.
CBS News: Americans split on Venezuela
In a CBS News/YouGov poll conducted Jan. 5-7, 41% of respondents approved of Trump's job performance and 59% disapproved. The poll surveyed 2,325 adults in the U.S. and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.4 percentage points.
The poll found 48% approve of the U.S. military action in Venezuela, while 52% disapprove. Whether or not people approve of the move appears connected to why they believe the U.S. took Maduro.
"At the moment, most think the Trump administration is among other aims trying to get access to Venezuela's oil and expand U.S. power in the region — and when Americans think those are big parts of the goals, they tend to disapprove," CBS reported.
Others who think the effort is mainly about stopping drugs tend to be more approving of the intervention, according to the pollsters.
How does President Donald Trump's approval rating compare to past presidents?
A historical analysis by Gallup shows Trump's approval ratings in December of his first years in office − both as the 45th and 47th presidents − are lower than any other modern president at the same time in their administrations. Here is how his December approval compares to other presidents in December of their first year of their terms, according to Gallup:
Trump (December 2025) - 36% approve
Joe Biden (December 2021) - 43% approve
Trump (December 2017) - 36% approve
Barack Obama (December 2009) - 50% approve
George W. Bush (December 2001) - 86% approve
Bill Clinton (December 1993) - 53% approve
George H.W. Bush (December 1989) - 71% approve
Ronald Reagan (December 1981) - 49% approve
Contributing: Josh Meyer, USA TODAY
Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at [email protected]. Follow her on X (Twitter), Bluesky and TikTok.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What is Trump's approval rating? Impeachment talk starts in busy 2026
Source: “AOL Breaking”
