9 key states where Trump's net approval rating is underwater


President Trump's net approval rating took a hit just about everywhere last month, even in states that propelled him to the White House.
His net approval rating, which is calculated by subtracting his disapproval rating from his approval rating, dipped below zero in four key states last month: North Carolina, Ohio, Georgia, and Florida, Morning Consult finds. These are all states he won in the 2016 election, with Ohio and Florida being particularly crucial. Had Hillary Clinton taken those two states in 2016 but the rest of the map stayed the same, Trump would have lost 259 to 279 electoral votes.
The president's net approval rating is below zero in nine states that he won in 2016, Bloomberg's James Greiff observes; in addition to the four previously mentioned, he's in the red in Arizona, Iowa, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Morning Consult's Cameron Easley points out that Trump's net approval fell in 43 states in December, even in conservative states like Alabama and Tennessee; he fell seven points in both. A look back through Morning Consult's interactive map shows that Trump had a net positive approval rating in 38 states when he first took office. But that honeymoon period lasted barely four months, and as of last month, the number of states where his approval rating is higher than his disapproval rating is 21.
The good news for Trump, though, is that his rating has bounced back from below zero in a few states; North Carolina, for instance, was net negative on Trump in September but net positive in October and November.
Morning Consult compiled its data by speaking to more than 1 million U.S. voters since January 2017. The margin of error varies from 1 percentage point to 5 percentage points depending on the state.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Trump threatens Brazil with 50% tariffs
Speed Read He accused Brazil's current president of leading a 'witch hunt' against far-right former leader Jair Bolsonaro
-
Is the Trump-Putin bromance over... again?
Today's Big Question The US president has admitted he's 'p*ssed off' with his opposite number
-
AI scammer fakes Rubio messages to top officials
Speed Read The unknown individual mimicked Rubio in voice and text messages sent to multiple government officials
-
SCOTUS greenlights Trump's federal firings
speed read The Trump administration can conduct mass federal firings without Congress' permission, the Supreme Court ruled
-
'The way AI is discussed makes it seem like this is a necessary outcome'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin August 1 on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
Iran: Is regime change possible?
Feature The U.S.-Israeli attack exposed cracks in Iran's regime
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress