President Donald Trump’s approval among non-MAGA Republicans turned negative following a double-digit swing against him in an October Fox News Poll. It suggests dissatisfaction has reached a less ideologically aligned part of his party. It matters weeks before the midterms because Republican candidates need unity across the party while confronting widespread dissatisfaction over living costs.
GOP campaigns in competitive House and Senate races could face weaker enthusiasm or split-ticket voting among Republicans who remain outside the MAGA core. White House spokesman Davis Ingle told Newsweek in an emailed statement that Trump had built "one of the most robust coalitions in political history" through the MAGA movement. Ingle said the president remained the Republican Party’s "unequivocal leader, best messenger, and unmatched motivator." Ingle added that Trump was committed to preserving Republican majorities in Congress.
The spokesman pointed to his record on taxes, prescription-drug costs, border security, crime, energy and private-sector employment. Ingle framed the midterm choice as one between Trump’s "commonsense agenda" and Democratic policies and opposition. Presidential disapproval does not automatically translate into support for Democratic congressional candidates.
Even so, a loss of enthusiasm among Republican-leaning voters could prove consequential in close races decided by small changes in participation. The September Fox News Poll, conducted from September 11 to 14 among 1,211 registered voters, found 39 percent approving of Trump’s performance and 61 percent disapproving, giving a net approval rating of -22 points. Its full-sample margin of sampling error was plus or minus three percentage points.
Among non-MAGA Republicans, 53 percent approved and 46 percent disapproved, producing a net rating of plus seven. The October survey, conducted from October 9 to 12 among 1,202 registered voters, put Trump at 36 percent approval nationally and 64 percent disapproval, a net rating of minus 28. Its full-sample margin of sampling error was plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
Approval among non-MAGA Republicans stood at 47 percent, with 52 percent disapproving. That represented a 12-point movement in the subgroup’s net rating, from plus seven to minus five. Support remained much stronger among the party’s MAGA wing: 95 percent approved of Trump’s performance, down from 98 percent in the previous poll, compared with 76 percent of Republicans overall, down from 79 percent in the previous poll.
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