At the end of September, approval polling averages showed President Donald Trump (R) at 39% approval. Sixty percent of voters disapproved of his performance. September saw the lowest average approval rating of his second term at 38%, last seen on Sept. 29, 2026. The highest average approval rating of his second term was 54%, last seen on Jan. 22, 2025.
At the end of September, average congressional approval was 24%, and disapproval was 64%. The lowest average approval rating the 119th Congress has received was 12%, last seen on May 26, 2026. The highest average approval rating it has received was 37%, last seen on July 1, 2025.
At the end of September, the average direction of the country rating, which indicates public opinion as to whether the United States is moving in the right or wrong direction, was 32% in the right direction and 61% in the wrong direction. The highest average of voters saying the country was moving in the right direction during Trump’s second term is 46%, last seen on February 26, 2025, with a 48% rating in the wrong direction. The lowest average of voters saying the country was moving in the right direction during Trump’s second term is 24%, last seen on September 2, 2026, with a 66% rating in the wrong direction.
At this time during Trump’s first term in office, average presidential approval was one point higher at 40%, average congressional approval was six points lower at 18%, and average direction of the country rating for the right direction was 10 points higher at 42%.
At this point in the Biden administration, average presidential approval was four points higher at 43%, average congressional approval was three points higher at 27%, and average direction of the country rating for the right direction was four points lower at 28%.
The average generic congressional vote rating for Democrats was 50% at the end of September, the highest average since Ballotpedia began tracking it during Trump’s second term. The lowest average generic congressional vote rating for Democrats was 41%, last seen on September 19, 2025.
At the end of September, the average generic congressional vote rating for Republicans was 43%. The highest average generic congressional vote rating for Republicans since Ballotpedia began tracking it during Trump’s second term was 47%, last seen on April 4, 2025. The lowest average generic congressional vote rating for Republicans was 39%, last seen on September 19, 2025.
Ballotpedia’s polling index takes the average of polls conducted over the last 30 days to calculate presidential and congressional approval ratings, direction of the country ratings, and generic congressional vote ratings. We average the results and show all polling results side-by-side because we believe that paints a clearer picture of public opinion than any individual poll can provide. The data is updated daily as new polling results are published.
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