Donald Trump Republican voter enthusiasm takes a big hit: US President’s worst nightmare ahead of midterms? Why new poll is worrisome

A Reuters poll has found that voters who backed Democratic former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024 are far more enthusiastic about casting ballots this November than those who supported President Donald Trump. The poll, released on Thursday, found 30 percent of Trump voters said they are “very enthusiastic” to vote in the midterms, while 21 percent shared a moderate rate of excitement. Just less than 10 percent were lukewarm about voting, and 10 percent said they are “very” unenthusiastic. Another 30 percent said they are neither enthusiastic nor unenthusiastic or skipped the question.

Trump, 80, has repeatedly urged Republicans to treat the midterms as a referendum on his second term. The President is of the view that if he puts himself at the centre of the mid-term elections, then it will energize the MAGA base and drive Republicans to the polls.

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What Trump said during Nebraska rally

Despite the fact that Trump voters are not excited about voting in the midterms, Trump gave an explicit and clear message at an rally in Nebraska. “When I am on the ballot, people show up and we always win,” Trump said. “I am asking you to do me a favor and pretend I am on the ballot.” Later, he put it more simply: “In a true way, I am running. We have to keep it going.” But the new poll points to a potentially serious problem for that strategy: Trump voters are far less enthusiastic about voting than the voters he defeated in 2024.

Why is the new poll worrisome for Trump?

The new poll points for trouble for the President because it states that just 30 percent of people who voted for Trump in 2024 said they were “very enthusiastic” about casting a ballot in this year’s midterms. Among voters who backed Kamala Harris, the figure was 48 percent. The poll also found that men were more enthusiastic ‌about voting and more certain to cast ballots than women, and that male voters showed signs of shifting toward Democrats. That could signal erosion in Republican support among a demographic that was a pillar of Trump's 2024 victory.

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The poll is seen as a positive sign for Democrats who are widely favored to win control of the House of Representatives and remain competitive in the fight for the Senate. This is because Trump's approval ratings have ​slipped amid voter concerns about the cost of living and the war with Iran. As of October 8, 2026, major polling groups like RealClearPolitics and Ballotpedia report that President Donald Trump's approval rating is hovering between 32% and 38%.

What is Republican strategist saying

Republican strategist Charlie Gerow acknowledged the challenge, telling Reuters: “The enthusiasm has to be ginned up among Republicans because turnout is what’s going to determine the outcome of these midterm elections.” The poll also found that Trump’s supporters are less settled on their congressional choices. While most Trump and Harris voters intend to support candidates from their respective parties, 13 percent of Trump voters said they were still unsure who they would vote for, compared with 7 percent of Harris voters.

That is not the only poll that has shown such a result. A New York Times/Siena poll last month found Democrats held an edge in voter certainty, with 61 percent saying they were absolutely certain to vote compared with 56 percent of Republicans.

Decline in Trump's support

The poll showed that just 32% of Americans approved of Trump's presidency, holding at a record ​low first marked in a September Reuters/Ipsos survey. It was conducted across the nation and and surveyed 4,506 adults online. Since taking office in January 2025, support for Trump has fallen across every major demographic group, including double-digit drops among Hispanics, ‌men, rural ⁠and suburban voters, people without college degrees and evangelical Christians.

Jim Pasek, an 80-year-old Michigan voter who has supported Trump twice, said the president’s recent statements leave him confused and frustrated. “He’s not making sense,” Pasek told The New York Times. “It confuses me, and then I just get disgusted and tune out.”

In Texas, 24-year-old Brandon Tremaine, who voted for Trump in 2020, went even further after Trump urged supporters to vote as though he were on the ballot. “President Trump has been saying, ‘Vote as if I was on the ballot,’ and that’s exactly what I’m going to do—not vote,” Tremaine said.

Republican organizer Doug Koopman said the problem is visible on the ground, too, describing low energy among volunteers in Michigan and saying campaign literature was sitting untouched at party headquarters. “There’s very low energy on the Republican side,” he said.

The warning signs for Republicans come as voters grow increasingly concerned about the rising cost of living, with gasoline and diesel prices surging following the war with Iran. Trump launched attacks on Iran in February, despite campaigning on promises to avoid starting new conflicts and lower costs for American consumers.