Rural voters have soured on President Trump again, according to a new poll that found his standing with the group flipping from positive to negative in the span of a single month.
A Fox News survey conducted July 17-20 among 1,003 registered voters found Mr. Trump’s approval among rural voters at 44% approve to 56% disapprove, a net -12 rating. That marks a 14-point reversal from June, when the same polling series had him at 51% approval to 49% disapproval, a net +2.
Mr. Trump’s overall approval rating remains underwater at 39% approve to 61% disapprove, a net -22 that has held steady since May and worsened slightly from June. His current approval sits close to former President Joe Biden’s 40% mark in July 2022 and former President Barack Obama’s 42% in July 2014, both during the summer before a midterm election.
Rural America has long served as a foundation of Mr. Trump’s political coalition, and the swing raises questions heading into the 2026 midterms about whether the group’s enthusiasm will hold. The rebound in rural support recorded in June proved short-lived, according to the Fox News poll, which also found rural voters still rating Mr. Trump somewhat better than the electorate overall on the economy, inflation and immigration — though every issue tested still produced net-negative marks.
The survey found non-MAGA Republicans showing the steepest decline of any group, with their approval falling 13 points from last month to 51%, after standing at 70% at the start of Mr. Trump’s second term. On immigration, traditionally one of the president’s stronger issues, voters are now evenly divided over which party handles the issue better — 50% say Democrats and 49% Republicans, a shift from an eight-point Republican advantage in April.
The decline coincides with hardening opposition to the administration’s handling of Iran. According to the Fox News poll, just 34% of voters approve of Mr. Trump’s handling of Iran against 66% who disapprove — his worst marks to date in that polling series — while 56% oppose U.S. military action against Iran outright. Newsweek’s analysis of the numbers suggests farming communities may be especially exposed to any economic fallout from the conflict, given their reliance on fuel and fertilizer, though the poll itself did not test that connection directly.
Davis Ingle, an administration spokesman, offered a response Newsweek noted the White House has used repeatedly to polling inquiries, saying “the ultimate poll was November 5, 2024,” and that Mr. Trump’s agenda is “just…taking effect.”
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