RNC senior advisor Danielle Alvarez analyzes the escalating midterm election battle between Democrats and Republicans. She highlights Democratic concerns over redistricting and the rising influence of progressive candidates like Abdul El-Sayed. Alvarez discusses Iowa becoming a political battleground and addresses a Fox News poll indicating Democrats' economic edge, emphasizing GOP strategies to counter.

With six months to go until the midterm elections, President Donald Trump's poll numbers remain underwater.

The two-month-long war with Iran, which public opinion surveys indicate is unpopular with many Americans, and a surge in gas prices as a direct result of the fighting have triggered a further slide in Trump's approval ratings this spring.

The president's polling woes are a political drag on his party, as Republicans work to defend their slim Senate and razor-thin House majorities in this year's elections. That's because the presidential approval rating has long been a much-watched barometer of a president's clout and how well his party may perform in the ensuing midterms.

But the frustrating figures are not a problem unique to Trump β€” his most recent predecessors in the White House also saw their negative numbers weigh down their parties in midterm showdowns.

WHAT OUR LATEST FOX NEWS NATIONAL POLL SHOWS

President Donald Trump's approval ratings remain in negative territory with six months to go until the 2026 midterm elections. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Trump stood at 42% approval and 51% disapproval in the latest Fox News national poll, which was conducted April 17-20. Some more recent surveys put the president's approval rating in the mid to upper 30s, with his disapproval reaching or topping 60%.

The president's approval is hovering just above 40%, with his disapproval above 56%, in an average of all the most recent national polls, according to a compilation from RealClearPolitics.

SIX MONTHS TILL MIDTERMS: THE TEN RACES THAT WILL DETERMINE THE SENATE'S MAJORITY

"It may come as cold comfort to the White House, but there’s a tendency for voters to be harsh toward all presidents," Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who helps conduct Fox News polls with Democrat Chris Anderson, noted.

He's not kidding.

Then-President Joe Biden's approval ratings were underwater for most of his presidency.

Four years ago, as he faced the 2022 midterm elections, then-President Joe Biden was also dealing with sky-high gas prices. His approval rating stood at 45%, with 53% disapproval, in a Fox News poll conducted in late April and early May 2022. And a RealClearPolitics average of all the national polls at that time put Biden's numbers at 42%-53%.

DEMOCRATS BUILD MIDTERM MOMENTUM BUT REPUBLICANS STILL IN DRIVER'S SEAT IN SENATE MAJORITY BATTLE

Trump's two most recent two-term predecessors also were well below water six months out from their second midterm elections.

Then-President Barack Obama's approval ratings were underwater for well over a year leading up to the 2014 midterm elections. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

Then-President Barack Obama stood at 43%-52% in early May 2014, and former President George W. Bush was deep into negative territory at 35%-59% at the same time in 2006.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Republicans were shellacked in the 2006 midterms and Democrats were pummeled in the 2014 midterms.

While Biden's anemic numbers did Democrats no favors in 2022, the party was able to beat expectations and hold their House majority thanks in part to the outsized emphasis on the issue of abortion, following a blockbuster opinion that summer by the Supreme Court's conservative majority that scrapped the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, which had legalized abortion nationwide for a half century.

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast."

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.

By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and
        agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can
        opt-out at any time.

Subscribed

You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter!