President Donald Trump’s net approval rating — while still underwater — marginally increased over the month of August, as the administration is finally receiving credit for a number of victories, including an expanding U.S. manufacturing sector, a continued deportation push, and plummeting crime numbers across major cities.
The latest Napolitan News Service-RMG Research presidential approval tracker shows a decline in President Trump’s disapproval rating and an increase in his approval rating over the month of August.
President Trump’s net approval rating has gone from -12 points (55 percent disapprove to 43 percent approve) for the data collected Jul. 27–Aug. 2, to -7 points (52 percent disapprove to 45 percent approve) for the data collected Aug. 24–30. This represents a five-point decline in net disapproval over the past month.
The recent decline in net disapproval shows one of the strongest signals for President Trump’s approval rating since March, or since the Iran conflict began. The week of March 30–April 6, 2026, one month into the conflict with Iran, President Trump’s disapproval rating peaked, with his net approval rating hitting -18 points (58 percent disapprove to 40 percent approve).
While his disapproval rating declined somewhat over the following months, hovering between 53 percent and 58 percent, his approval rating remained in the low 40s for much of the past four months. However, that approval rating is finally beginning to recover. In the latest Aug. 24–30 survey data, President Trump’s approval rating has risen to 45 percent, the highest it has been since April, except for one blip in mid-July when it hit 46 percent before promptly falling the following week.
Whether President Trump’s elevated approval rating holds remains to be seen, but the administration is beginning to stack up tangible victories despite the obstacles of the Iran conflict and cost-of-living concerns driving up disapproval.
President Trump has breathed new life into the American manufacturing sector, with the Institute for Supply Management’s August Manufacturing PMI report indicating the manufacturing sector expanded for the eighth consecutive month in August. The report for July revealed that the Employment Index, which tracks employment across the U.S. manufacturing industry, entered “expansion territory” for the first time since November 2023, a huge victory for the sector.
The Trump administration has also secured political wins that make living and doing business in the U.S. safer. In July, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stacked up the greatest number of illegal alien arrests of President Trump’s second term, with nearly 50,000 arrests of illegals. About half of those arrested were convicted criminals or facing pending charges, while the rest were arrested for violating U.S. immigration law.
Crime is on track to hit a 126-year low in 2026, according to an independent estimate of crime statistics across major cities conducted by the Council on Criminal Justice.
More U.S. taxpayer dollars are being poured into the needs of American citizens and foreign aid is being slashed, in-line with voter preferences. President Trump slashed foreign aid to the lowest number since 2004, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of federal trends released July 21. A plurality of Americans support slashing foreign spending.
The Real Clear Polling presidential approval tracker shows a similar decline in disapproval and a modest rise in approval for President Trump at the close of August. As of Sept. 1, President Trump’s net approval rating sits at -17.5 points, with 57 percent disapproval and 39.5 percent approval.
While this net disapproval rating is higher than the Napolitan News Service average, it still represents a decline in disapproval and a modest uptick in support over the past few weeks. One month ago, on Aug. 1, President Trump’s net approval rating sat at -19.5 points, two points worse than at the start of September.
The generic congressional ballot remains close, with Democrats leading by just 6.4 points, according to the latest Real Clear Polling average.
Despite the headwinds of the Iran conflict and inflation, which remains the top concern for voters according to the latest Economist/YouGov survey, the Trump administration is stacking up victories across crime, immigration, and manufacturing. Whether that will be enough to blunt Democratic expansion in November remains to be seen. Many of President Trump’s initiatives — particularly around the implementation of tariffs to encourage U.S. manufacturing — will take time to yield tangible results that voters are aware of. Other metrics, like crime, are already showing significant declines and immediately translating into safer cities.
Manzanita Miller is the senior political analyst at Americans for Limited Government Foundation.
