Trump's approval ratings fall to record lows – here's what it means for him and the Republican Party ahead of the midterm elections on Nov. 3

Donald Trump's approval ratings plummeted to new lows in fresh polls released on Wednesday, as his policies and actions overseas remain highly unpopular among voters ahead of the midterms. The surveys were released by The New York Times (NYT) and CNN, offering an insight into voter sentiment just weeks before the election day on November 3. Only 36 percent of likely voters approved of Trump's performance, while 59 percent disapproved in the NYT poll, the lowest in any survey run by the paper across his two terms. In the CNN/SSRS survey, the president's work was approved by 32 percent, 7 points lower than its last figure released in 2018.

All 435 districts in the House and 33 of the 100 Senate seats are up for grabs in the upcoming election. At present, Republicans hold a thin majority of 218-214 seats in the House of Representatives and lead the Senate with a 53-47 majority.

What do the surveys suggest?

The vanishing popularity of President Trump is good news for the Democratic Party, which took a significant lead in the generic congressional ballot in both the surveys. In the Times poll, the Democrats lead the Republicans with a 52% to 41% advantage, a huge gap of 11 percent. They similarly hold a 10-point lead over the ruling party, with an advantage of 49% to 39% in the CNN survey.

But while the Democrats are projected to retake control of the House, the fight over control of the Senate may not be that easy as polls show the rival parties neck-and-neck in several key areas.

What does history say about the midterms?

The president and the party in charge of the government usually face setbacks in the midterms. Besides, supporters of the non-ruling party are generally more motivated to vote in these polls, according to the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics.

The think tank also says that in 12 of the last 20 midterm elections held since 1946, the sitting president’s approval ratings worsened during the months leading up to election day.

What does it mean for Trump?

In the last 20 midterm elections, the ruling party lost seats in the House in 18 instances, although a president with higher approval ratings often reduced the losses, according to data from a project run by the University of California (UC), Santa Barbara.

Trump currently has the lowest approval ratings of any president in US history, according to UC Santa Barbara data. Researchers say the chances of Republicans maintaining their slim majority in the Congress are very minute. But exactly how badly the Republicans will be hurt by Trump's policies and the war in Iran remains to be seen.