NPR is reporting that its latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll finds President Trump's approval rating at near record lows, with the highest number of voters saying they strongly disapprove of him at any point in either of his terms. It said more voters prefer a Democrat to represent them in Congress and believe Democrats would do a better job on gas prices, the economy, foreign policy and immigration, a signature Republican issue.
NPR said the poll of registered voters gives Democrats a 12-point advantage, a major swing from Trump's roughly 1.5% popular vote victory in the 2024 presidential election. It said both parties are now paying attention to newly competitive races in conservative areas, including Senate contests in Texas, Ohio and Iowa and House districts in deeply red parts of Alabama, Kentucky and Florida.
NPR said some vulnerable Republican candidates are distancing themselves from Trump policies that are unpopular with their voters. It said Iowa Rep. Ashley Hinson and former Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers, both Republican Senate nominees, reversed their positions to support ending the Iran war and called for suspending gas taxes to combat rising prices.
NPR said the poll also found more people want to vote for candidates who bring new ideas and change over experience and a proven record. It said NPR's Hansi Lo Wang notes the U.S. Postal Service is losing public trust that it will deliver mail-in ballots on time, and most Republicans still believe there is a great deal or a good amount of fraud when people are allowed to vote by mail.
Separately, NPR reported that Trump this week hosted Chinese leader Xi Jinping for his first state visit in 11 years, with the ongoing trade war and artificial intelligence on the agenda. It said the visit produced no major breakthroughs, but Trump announced shortly after Xi's departure that the two leaders would meet two more times before the end of the year.
NPR also reported that the networks making up the White House television pool suspended coverage of Trump's events after he banned journalists from CNN, MSNOW and Politico, claiming they covered him unfairly. It said the outlets sued, and after an emergency hearing a judge ordered the journalists' access temporarily restored while the legal case continues.
NPR reported that the Supreme Court on Friday blocked a congressional map in Missouri that was aimed at netting Republicans another seat in the U.S. House, a case watched nationally as voting begins in the midterms.