Trump's approval rating falls to lowest of his second term

President Donald Trump's popularity dipped to the lowest in his second term for reasons including his handling of the cost of living and the Jeffery Epstein files, according to a poll released this week.

Just 38% of Americans approve of the job Trump is doing, a Reuters/Ipsos four-day poll released on Tuesday Nov. 18, found.

The survey showed Trump's "overall approval sliding two percentage points since a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in early November," the outlet reported.

The poll, which ended on Monday, Nov. 17, shows that 62% of Americans are unhappy with his actions.

The poll was conducted online and surveyed 1,017 U.S. adults nationwide. It had a margin of error of about 3 percentage points.

USA TODAY has reached out to The White House for comment.

On Tuesday, Nov. 18, the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to force the Justice Department to release all unclassified records related to the government's investigations into Epstein, the disgraced financier who died by suicide in August 2019. An accused sex trafficker, Epstein is linked to a number of high-profile people, including Trump.

The passage pushed past a months-long effort by Trump and some Republican leaders to obstruct the endeavor.

On Wednesday, Nov. 19, during a speech at the 2025 U.S. Saudi Investment Forum Trump addressed the survey.

"So my poll numbers just went down, but with smart people, they've gone way up," Trump said.

Trump reverses heat on Republicans, citing 'nothing to hide'

Over the weekend, in a surprise move, Trump changed his tune and called on Republicans to vote for the full release of files related to Epstein, marking a stark reversal after previously warning the party to stay out of the Epstein "trap."

"House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

Contributing: Thao Nguyen, Zachary Schermele, Rebecca Morin, USA TODAY.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund