rump's approval slumps with low earners, rises with rich

[struggle4progress]

Oct 10, 2025 at 05:00 AM EDT
By Martha McHardy
US News Reporter

... Trump made significant gains with low-income voters, a historically Democratic-leaning group, in the 2024 election. Exit polling from the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research shows that in the 2020 election, Trump struggled with lower-income voters, winning just 44 percent of those earning under $50,000 a year compared with 55 percent for ex-President Joe Biden. By 2024, however, he had managed to close much of that gap, taking around 50 percent of lower-income voters.

Yet new polling suggests that those gains may now be reversing. According to new YouGov/Economist polling conducted from October 4 to October 6, Trump’s approval rating among the lowest-income voters has fallen sharply in recent weeks. In September, 40 percent of voters earning under $50,000 a year approved of his performance while 55 percent disapproved—a net rating of -15. By October, approval had dropped to 35 percent and disapproval had risen to 59 percent, widening his deficit to -24 points.

At the same time, Trump’s standing has improved among the highest-income Americans. Among those earning more than $100,000, his approval rating rose from 43 percent in September to 47 percent in October, while disapproval fell from 56 percent to 51 percent — cutting his deficit from -13 points to -4 points.

While wealthier voters have long been a core part of the Republican base, drawn to the party's promises of tax cuts and deregulation, Trump made much smaller gains with the richest Americans in 2024. In 2020, Trump’s backing among voters earning more than $100,000 was below 50 percent, but by 2024, he had expanded that share to around 51-52 percent ...

https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trumps-approval-ratings-slump-with-low-earners-rise-with-the-rich-10846479