President Trump's approval ratings have fallen to new lows as a CBS News poll released this week reveals widespread frustration among Americans over the ongoing war with Iran and its economic consequences. The survey found that a significant share of respondents do not believe the conflict is advancing U.S. military, strategic, or economic interests, reflecting a shift in public sentiment as the war continues well beyond the timeline the administration originally laid out.
The polling data arrives as gas prices remain at elevated levels, placing additional strain on household budgets already stretched by broader inflation. The CBS poll highlights economic anxiety as a central driver of declining confidence in the president's leadership, with many respondents pointing to rising costs at the pump and uncertainty about the direction of the economy as their primary concerns.
A separate New York Times/Siena College survey corroborates the trend, showing what analysts describe as a crack in what had been a stable floor of support for Trump. The Times analysis notes that the president has entered new political territory, with approval figures that now threaten Republican prospects heading into the midterm elections. The combination of an unpopular war and persistent economic dissatisfaction appears to be eroding support even among voters who had previously stood by the administration.
The president had promised weeks ago that the conflict with Iran would be resolved quickly, but fighting has continued and no resolution appears imminent. Axios reports that Trump has publicly dismissed concerns about rising inflation, even as economists warn that the war is deepening an economic spiral that could prove difficult to reverse. The disconnect between the administration's messaging and the reality facing voters at the grocery store and gas station is a recurring theme across all four sources examined for this report.
The convergence of military and economic discontent represents a notable challenge for the White House. Historically, wartime presidents have been able to sustain public support when voters believe a conflict serves clear national interests. The CBS data suggests that threshold has not been met for many Americans, and the longer the war drags on, the more politically costly it becomes. With midterm elections approaching, the polling trajectory has become a matter of serious concern for Republican strategists.
This article was first detected through AVALW News real-time broadcast monitoring on CBS News at 10:32 UTC on May 18, 2026. It was then verified against RSS sources including The New York Times, CBS News, Axios. The content is an AI synthesis of the live broadcast, reviewed for accuracy before publication.