Recent presidential approval ratings indicate the public’s sentiment in light of the Epstein scandal.
The approval ratings for President Donald Trump have experienced a significant decline, reaching their lowest point since his return to office, according to a recent poll.
At the start of this month, a survey conducted with 1,245 Americans from October 27 to 30 showed that the President had a 63 percent disapproval rating. This figure is nearly as low as his previous lowest rating recorded by CNN after the Capitol Hill incident in January 2021.
Currently, a Reuters/Ipsos poll, carried out over four days until Monday, indicates growing dissatisfaction among Americans due to rising living costs and the stagnation in the investigation of Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted pedophile.
The findings reveal a decline in his approval rating to 38 percent, a drop of two percentage points since the earlier Reuters/Ipsos poll in early November.
This poll included 1,017 U.S. adults nationwide and has a margin of error of about percentage points.
Moreover, the poll indicates a decline in Trump’s approval rating among Republicans, falling to 82 percent from 86 earlier this month.
This development occurs as Trump’s Republican Party demonstrates signs of vulnerability, with the Republican-controlled House of Representatives passing a measure on Tuesday (November 18) to compel the Justice Department to release the so-called Epstein files.
Trump has expressed opposition to this decision for weeks, even conflicting with Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former ally in Congress, who claims his public criticism of her followed her urging for the release of the files.
Despite this, lawmakers could proceed with releasing the files without Trump’s endorsement, and the White House has stated that Trump will sign the bill when it arrives at his desk.
This situation is visibly affecting voter sentiment, with only 20 percent of respondents, including 44 percent of Republicans, indicating approval of Trump’s handling of the Epstein case.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll further disclosed that 70 percent of participants, including 87 percent of Democrats and 60 percent of Republicans, suspect the government of concealing information about Epstein’s alleged clients.
Doug Heye, a Republican political strategist, comments, “People are furious when they go out and spend money at the grocery store, and they can’t believe what they are spending.”
Only a little over a quarter (26 percent) of Americans think Trump is effectively managing the cost of living, down from 29 percent earlier this month. In contrast, 65 percent, including one in three Republicans, expressed disapproval of Trump’s handling of this issue.